An overnight fire tore through a three-story apartment building at the Van Dyke Houses in Brownsville, sending five residents to the hospital and leaving a trail of boarded windows and charred belongings by sunrise. Fire crews rushed in during the early hours and took the injured to Brookdale Hospital. Officials said the injuries were minor and that everyone is expected to recover.
FDNY response and injuries
According to News 12 Brooklyn, FDNY crews were called to 431 Dumont Ave. at about 1:32 a.m. Wednesday after reports of fire and smoke inside the three-story building. The department told the station the blaze started on the first floor and was brought under control just over thirty minutes after crews arrived. Five residents were taken to Brookdale Hospital with minor injuries, and officials said they are expected to be OK.
Public housing context
The building is part of NYCHA’s Van Dyke campus, a multi-block public-housing complex that includes more than 20 residential buildings and roughly 1,600 apartments, per NYCHA. Federal housing records also map 431 Dumont Ave. to the Van Dyke I site, which appears in the HUD-linked property database maintained by ProPublica. The Van Dyke campus has seen other emergencies this year, including a midnight stabbing at Van Dyke Houses, underscoring how tightly local services are tied to this corner of Brownsville.
Relief and investigation
News 12 Brooklyn reports the American Red Cross was on scene Wednesday morning offering help to residents, and FDNY Fire Marshals have opened an investigation into where and how the blaze began. It is not yet clear how many apartments or families were directly affected by the fire.
Officials have released only limited details so far, with further updates expected from the city and NYCHA as investigators work to determine the cause. We will monitor FDNY and NYCHA briefings and share new information as it becomes available.
