NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 4-year-old boy is in critical condition and 15 others were injured after a fire tore through a Brooklyn apartment building Friday night, officials said.
The blaze sparked around 11:19 p.m. at 530 45th Street in Sunset Park, with responding firefighters finding a “heavy fire condition” on the second story of the three-story apartment building, the FDNY said.
One firefighter found the 4-year-old child in cardiac arrest on a second-floor bedroom and rushed him out of the building. Other firefighters at the same time found “several” other victims on the third floor and rushed those people out of the blaze as well.
The fire was placed under control in about 45 minutes, according to FDNY Assistant Chief Michael Gala.
“Some of the victims were sheltered in the rear yard as our units were extinguishing the fire and several of the occupants fled to the building next door,” Gala said during a news conference.
Four of the 16 victims suffered critical injuries, according to the FDNY. The remaining 12 victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Three victims were transferred to Lutheran Medical Center, including the 4-year-old boy; a 50-year-old man and an unidentified female, according to the department. The 4-year-old is in critical but stable condition.
Another two victims were transported to Cornell Medical Center: a 23-year-old man suffering stomach pains and a 34-year-old man with knee injuries, according to the FDNY.
Fire officials don’t suspect any criminality in the fire so far and an investigation into its start is ongoing.