A two-alarm fire in Bushwick displaced at least 11 people.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
A two-alarm fire at a Bushwick apartment building displaced 11 people early on Monday morning.
Brooklyn dispatchers began receiving calls about a fire at 987 Hancock St. shortly after midnight on Oct. 5, per the FDNY. Flames quickly spread to all four floors and the cockloft of the four-story building as well as two adjoining buildings, and firefighters called a second alarm at 1:17 a.m.
Residents fled to the street with only the clothes on their backs, clutching their pets and children.
Residents wrap their arms around each other during a two alarm fire at 987 Hancock Street on Monday morning. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
“I smelled all of this smoke, I thought it was my apartment on fire,” said resident Parcilla Sanchez. “The firefighters were screaming, ‘Give us water.’”
More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze, and and managed to bring the fire under control shortly after 2 p.m., per the FDNY. No injuries were reported.
The Department of Buildings placed a full vacate order on the building, which was rendered structurally unsound and out of compliance with city code, per city records. Two adjacent buildings, 985 and 989 Hancock St., were also badly damaged and vacated by the DOB.
Three apartment buildings were badly damaged by the blaze. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell.
Three households — 11 people in total, nine adults and two children — registered for emergency housing assistance with the American Red Cross.
“Our Disaster Action Team connected with residents available on-scene to ensure everyone has a safe place to stay, and our casework team will work with each household individually in coming days to identify remaining recovery roadblocks,” a Red Cross spox told Brooklyn Paper. Residents impacted who did not connect with the Red Cross on the scene can call 1-877-733-2767 for help.
FDNY fire marshals will investigate the cause of the fire.