1 DEAD, ANOTHER IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER TWO-ALARM FIRE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY
February 1, 2015
Authorities
say the blaze started on the first floor of the E. 89th St. two-family home
near Ave. B in East Flatbush around 3:20 a.m. About 106 firefighters responded
to the fire, which was under control shortly before 5 a.m.
One
person died and another was in critical condition after a two-alarm fire ripped
through a Brooklyn home early Sunday, fire officials said.
Authorities
say the blaze started around 3:20 a.m. on the first floor of the E. 89th St.
two-family home near Ave. B in East Flatbush.
Within
a half-hour flames could be seen roaring from the top of the three-story duplex
and smoke-eaters were fighting the flames from inside and on the roof.
One
victim was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital but could not be saved,
police said. The second victim was taken to Kings County Hospital and listed in
critical but stable condition.
Next-door
neighbor Newby Burns, 65, who was standing across the street from the charred
building bundled up in a blanket said the acrid stench of smoke woke him up.
"I
was sleeping when I smelled the smoke. My wife was in the kitchen and I thought
maybe she was cooking and then she started yelling, 'There's a fire! Grab what
you can and get out!'" he said.
Burns
said he saw one victim wearing scorched clothes lying apparently unconscious on
the ground outside the home.
"Someone
in there got burnt up. I was looking at the house when I looked down and saw
this person on the floor and the fire department took them out onto the yard
and started doing CPR," Burns said.