STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Heartbreaking photos show the vestiges of Christmas amid destruction caused by an overnight fire that tore through a Castleton Corners apartment.
The FDNY responded to the blaze at 1:29 a.m. Friday, with 12 units and roughly 60 firefighters, to the scene on Hodges Place.
The fire was placed under control at 2:42 a.m., according to a FDNY spokesperson.
No injuries were reported, FDNY officials said.
The blaze heavily damaged the exterior and interior of the three-story home, charring walls and blowing out multiple windows.
Paul Hansalik, who has owned the property for more than 30 years, said Friday that he believes the fire began in an outdoor shed and spread quickly.
While the loss is devastating, he said his primary concern is for the tenants displaced during the holidays. He said two families live at the property, one on the first floor and another on the second.
“A place can be replaced. People can’t,” Hansalik said. “Everything else can be repaired — people can’t be.”
On Friday afternoon, belongings from inside the apartments were piled up outside. Inside, walls were melted, a decorated Christmas tree laid on its side, doors removed from their hinges rested against the wall and boards covered holes where windows once were.
In a bedroom with a dollhouse the ceiling had collapsed.
“I can’t imagine them going through what they’re (experiencing) right now during the holiday season,” Hansalik said. “This is hell. This is a living hell, as far as I’m concerned that they’re going through.”
A next-door neighbor, Christine Urcinoli said she woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass and saw multiple fire trucks arrive.
“I was paying close attention to everything that was going on because I was very worried because I didn’t know the extent of it,” Urcinoli said. “When I looked and saw everything being blown up, I was like, oh, my God, it was scary.”