A floor collapse during a house fire in Brooklyn on Friday left firefighters trapped.
When crews arrived on the scene on Williams Avenue in the New Lots section, there were large flames on the first floor in the back of the building, FDNY officials said.
3 firefighters injured in New Lots blaze
Assistant Chief Michael V. Meyers said it took about 15 minutes to get the blaze under control. However, he said as firefighters were completing that task, the second floor collapsed and two firefighters fell through to the first floor and got trapped. It was later said they suffered smoke inhalation.
“It took them about 10 minutes to remove them from the debris field,” Meyers said. “They’re both beat up, battered and bruised because of the amount of debris that was on top of them. They’re at Brookdale Hospital right now, but we don’t believe there are any significant injuries to any of our members.”
A third firefighter was also injured and one tenant suffered serious injuries, the FDNY said. They were transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. Four families were displaced from their Williams Avenue home.
Officials said it took two-dozen units and more than 100 fire and EMS workers to handle the situation, adding the outcome could’ve been much worse.
“Thankfully, in learning lessons over the years, having those special operation units will go in to get us when we’re in trouble,” an FDNY official said.
“The street was very pitch black”
Neighbors said they had to deal with heavy smoke conditions.
“I was at work and I smelled it first. I got off work and came outside and it was all the way up the street. It was that thick,” Jasmine Stephenson said.
“The street was very pitch black, cloudy with smoke,” Thereisa Robinson added. “It was very tragic to watch. No one wants to lose their home. No one wants to be in a fire, and also the firefighters, their lives they put on the line to save others.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.