NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An overnight fire at an apartment building in Brooklyn killed one man and hospitalized two others, and the FDNY said that its response was affected by two vehicles that were illegally blocking fire hydrants.
The fire began Sunday morning at about 3:45 a.m. at a building on 80th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue in Bay Ridge, the FDNY said.
Citizen App footage from the scene shows smoke billowing out of a third-floor window, an extended fire ladder and a large firefighter presence.
Upon arrival, firefighters discovered an unconscious 37-year-old man. He was transported by medics to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said. The victim’s identity has not yet been released.
Responders also pulled a 34-year-old woman and 2-year-old boy from the fire. They were taken to a hospital in critical condition, but are now stable, authorities said.
Tom D’Antonio lives next door to the fire scene and woke up during the FDNY response. He told 1010 WINS that both flames and smoke were funneling out of the third-floor.
“Just [a] loud bang, a lot of noise, really. Tons of fire trucks more than anything. A lot of sirens, and I heard my neighbor go down and check,” D’Antonio said. “I just creeped out on the porch to see what was going on and [it] just looked like a ton of smoke and just tons of fire trucks running up and down the block.”
The blaze took under an hour to get under control, according to the FDNY, but neighbors told 1010 WINS that trucks initially had a hard time getting down the street because a car was double parked.
The FDNY took to social media late Sunday morning to state that two cars were illegally parked on the street, blocking the two closest fire hydrants, which negatively impacted their response.
“Early Sunday morning in Brooklyn, parked cars blocked the two closest fire hydrants as firefighters responded to a fire at about 3:45 a.m.,” the FDNY wrote. “The fire turned fatal. Seconds count in an emergency. Keeping fire hydrants unobstructed helps firefighters respond quickly.”
The department encouraged New Yorkers to call 311 to report a blocked or improperly opened fire hydrant.
“We had a fatal fire in Bay Ridge early this morning,” NYC Councilmember Justin Brannan wrote on social media just before 8 a.m. “Please keep everyone in your thoughts & avoid the area. Will share more info when I have.”
Brannan represents the council’s 47th District, which includes Bay Ridge and Coney Island. He later added an update that the two people transported in critical condition are now stable.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire.