A second-alarm fire tore through a Sunset Park home Saturday afternoon, injuring one person and drawing a massive FDNY response before crews brought the flames under control about 45 minutes after responding. The blaze broke out at 239 61st St., starting in the basement before pushing upward into the space between the ceiling and the roof.
Fire officials said 141 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to News 12 Brooklyn. Citizen app footage captured firefighters battling the blaze as orange flames and smoke shot from what appeared to be a hole in the roof, giving a glimpse of just how far the fire had traveled through the structure before crews gained the upper hand.
The FDNY said crews had the fire under control by around 4:15 p.m. One victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene by EMS, per fire officials. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A Pattern of Brooklyn and Queens House Fires
Saturday's fire adds to a string of serious residential blazes across the boroughs in recent months. A two-alarm house fire in Ozone Park on Sept. 1 injured two firefighters after flames spread from one home to an adjoining property, according to qns.com. That incident also drew 141 fire and EMS personnel across 46 units, a response matching Saturday's Sunset Park numbers almost exactly.
Both firefighters hurt in the Ozone Park fire suffered minor injuries and were taken to Jamaica Hospital Center, where they were listed in stable condition, the outlet reported. That fire was brought under control just after 7:30 p.m., with FDNY fire marshals expected to determine its cause. The city's Department of Buildings issued a full vacate order for the original fire building and a partial vacate order covering the side yard of the neighboring home.
Earlier Sunset Park Fire Saw No Injuries
Sunset Park itself has seen this kind of destructive fire before. A separate blaze at 272 56th St. involved heavy smoke and fire showing from the basement of a three-story, attached, wood-frame private home, according to Brooklyn Paper. About 60 firefighters stretched three hose lines to fight that blaze, which was brought under control at about 1:30 p.m. with no civilians or firefighters injured.
The outcomes of these fires can vary widely even within the same neighborhood, from zero injuries at the 56th Street fire to the minor injury reported Saturday on 61st Street. The cause of Saturday's fire, like the origin of several of these recent incidents, remains undetermined as investigators continue their work.
