STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A massive fire tore through a Castleton Corners home early Friday morning, damaging surrounding houses, sending three firefighters to the hospital, and leaving a 93-year-old retired police officer scrambling to protect the property he’s called home for more than six decades.
“I woke up around 5:30 a.m., and saw red (in the) window. That’s when I started grabbing everything I could get and throwing on the front (porch) in case I had to take it out,” said James O’Leary, who spoke to the Advance/SILive.com from his home on Franklin Place hours after a blaze gutted his neighbor’s home at 59 Norwalk Ave.
The fire quickly spread through the structure, according to O’Leary.
O’Leary, who witnessed numerous emergencies during his career, noted the intense heat of the fire caused damage to nearby properties as well. His own home suffered exterior damage, but he noted the flames didn’t penetrate his house.
“It just melted the outside plastic siding,” he explained. “Behind the siding was the solid foundation.”
141 firefighters and EMS personnel rushed to contain the “fully involved” blaze that left three first responders injured and a home in ruins.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
“Flames melted the rear siding on the house next door from me as well,” O’Leary pointed out, adding, “On the right hand corner up, it sort of wrinkled a little bit.”
Emergency responders faced significant challenges upon arrival, according to O’Leary.
“It took a while to get here, but then they had the whole street filled with division trucks,” he said. “They activated fire hydrants and had many hoses stretching all the way up the street, in all different directions to try to put the fire out.”
141 firefighters and EMS personnel rushed to contain the “fully involved” blaze that left three first responders injured and a home in ruins.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
O’Leary estimated it took about 10 minutes for firefighters to arrive. The FDNY previously told the Advance/SILive.com that 46 units comprising of 141 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene.
141 firefighters and EMS personnel rushed to contain the “fully involved” blaze that left three first responders injured and a home in ruins.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
“The home was burning while we were waiting for the fire to come,” he said. “And then so many of them came, they couldn’t get up the street. It was jam-packed.”
Three firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze.
141 firefighters and EMS personnel rushed to contain the “fully involved” blaze that left three first responders injured and a home in ruins.Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence
“They must have went inside looking for people. Every window was pouring (smoke),” O’Leary recounted.
In a heartening display of community, neighbors quickly mobilized to help each other during the emergency. O’Leary, who might have struggled to move his vehicle to safety, received immediate assistance from his neighbor.
“(They) banged on my window, said, ‘give me the keys, I’ll take the car up,’” he recalled.
Local contractors have already filed insurance claims for affected homeowners, according to O’Leary, who said he had contacted his insurance provider, Allstate, and was informed that claims were being processed
According to the FDNY, there are no updates to the condition of the firefighters at this time.
FDNY and EMS responded to a fire at 59 Norwalk Avenue on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)