May 9, 2023 Deputy Assistant Chief Chuck Downey was emotional as he explained some of the young victims are fighting for their lives.
By Rocco Parascandola Source New York Daily News (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Brooklyn woman died early Tuesday in a suspected arson fire that also badly hurt four children, all believed to be part of the same family.
An accelerant was found in a hall doorway of the three-family home on Fountain Ave. near Liberty Ave. in East New York, the NYPD told PIX11 News.
The cause of the fire has not been immediately determined, but FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Chuck Downey suggested the fire may have been intentionally set.
‘’We had very heavy fire at the front door, which extended up the staircase to the third floor, entered the second floor apartment and came out those front windows,” Downey told reporters.
The woman died at the scene.
The children, girls ages 10, 14 and 17, and a 9-year-old boy, were rushed by medics to Brookdale University Hospital, several of them in critical condition. A man was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in stable condition.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries battling the intense blaze.
Downey, his voice choked with emotion, said firefighters responding to a 2:14 a.m. 911 call encountered a car blocking a fire hydrant but were still able to quickly run two hoses into the home and up the stairs and search “aggressively’’ for the victims.
“Anytime you see a whole family like this together, this time of the night, and the amount of fire and the emotion outside…neighbors, family members.” he said. “It’s very emotional.”