A two-alarm fire tore through a vacant Flatbush home on July 18.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
A two-alarm fire burned through a long-vacant Flatbush building on Saturday morning.
Firefighters arrived at 1952 Nostrand Ave. just after 6:40 a.m on July 18 to find the three-wood-framed home enveloped in thick smoke. The blaze had begun in the building’s basement, per the FDNY, and spread up to the first floor and over to a neighboring building.
Neighbor Richard Perez said he was walking to the nearby deli when he noticed smoke pouring out of a the building.
Thick smoke enveloped the building. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell 
A man covers his face from smoke as firefighters work the scene of a two alarm fire at 1952 Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn on Saturday, July 18. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
“I was going to go pick up a few things from the store when I saw the fire department racing around and moving with urgency, I turned around and there was a lot of smoke,” he said. It all went down quick.”
The 41st Battalion abandoned an aggressive interior attack in favor of a defensive operation from outside. Firefighters used four hose-lines and two ladders to knock down the main body of the fire, and the flames were brought under control by 8:30 a.m.
Department of Buildings inspectors determined that the building had suffered structural damage and is out of code compliance, according to city records. It was not the building’s first severe fire, records show. 1952 Nostrand Ave. has been under a full vacate order since a 2023 blaze that began in the basement and spread to the first floor, leaving windows and doors broken and the roof damaged.
Firefighters battled the blaze from a nearby rooftop.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell 
The building has suffered two major fires since 2023. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Saturday’s fire also left debris and siding hanging over the walkway of the church next door at 1954 Nostrand Ave., per DOB documents, creating a risk for “falling debris and collapse.” The church is also under a full vacate order.
FDNY fire marshals will investigate the cause of the fire.
1952 Nostrand Ave. has been abandoned for several years, and neighbors have repeatedly filed complaints about the home. In January 2025, one resident said the building had become “an eyesore, a health hazard,” with trash building up in front. At the time, DOB inspectors noted that the building was properly sealed up and not a risk.
In 2023, developers reportedly filed permits to construct a 6-story residential building on the site, though permits were approved earlier this year for a smaller 4-story project.