Firefighters worked to contain a fast-moving two-alarm fire as flames tore through the top floor and spread into the attic space of multiple apartments at 123 Chester St. on Friday, May 15.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
A fast-moving two-alarm fire tore through a Brownsville apartment building early Friday morning, leaving multiple apartments uninhabitable and displacing several residents and pets.
Firefighters from Engine Company 231 and Tower Ladder 120 arrived shortly after 2:30 a.m. on May 15 to find heavy fire consuming the third floor and spreading into the attic of 123 Chester St., near Pitkin Avenue.
Roughly 100 firefighters stretched multiple hose lines as crews worked aggressively to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further. Searches throughout the building were negative for victims.
Smoke pours from the roof of 123 Chester St. as firefighters work to contain a two-alarm blaze in Brownsville.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
A nearby neighbor said their dogs alerted them to the blaze.
“My dogs started barking and I smelled a heavy odor of smoke,” the resident told Brooklyn Paper. “That’s when I came out and started to hear the sirens. Crazy. They are in my prayers.”
The blaze was brought under control by about 3:30 a.m. Fire marshals are investigating the incident, and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.