A pre-dawn fire tore through a Red Hook public-housing building early Thursday, sending startled residents into the courtyard and leaving four people injured, including two firefighters. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and clear damage to a fifth-floor apartment, and firefighters were able to knock down the flames in roughly an hour and a half while continuing to search the building for lingering hot spots.
According to ABC7 New York, the blaze broke out just after 5 a.m. at the Red Hook East housing development off Columbia Street. NewsCopter footage showed a heavily damaged fifth-floor apartment. Two residents were taken to the hospital, one firefighter was hospitalized, and another firefighter was evaluated at the scene.
Where it happened
Red Hook East is part of the NYCHA Red Hook Houses, a sprawling complex of low-rise buildings and townhouse-style blocks lining Columbia Street and nearby streets, as laid out in NYCHA's Red Hook East profile. The agency's building map lists multiple residential addresses on Columbia, West Ninth and Clinton streets, highlighting how many households may have felt the impact of the early-morning scare.
Neighborhood fire history
The Red Hook waterfront has been dealing with more than its share of fire scares recently. In January, a four-alarm warehouse blaze sent thick smoke rolling over the neighborhood, drawing a large emergency response and renewed attention on local safety. That earlier incident and its aftermath kept the spotlight on Red Hook well before this latest fire, as covered in Hoodline's Massive Four‑Alarm Fire report.
Investigation and response
Fire officials have not yet released a cause for Thursday's blaze. The flames were brought under control about an hour and a half after the initial call, and FDNY crews stayed on scene to keep checking for hotspots. Per ABC7 New York, residents were evacuated into the development's courtyard, and there were no immediate reports of fatalities.
