By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- Brooklyn, N.Y. (Kensington) — A five-alarm fire tore through the Boro Park Seder Matzah Bakery, triggering a partial collapse that trapped and burned an FDNY firefighter before crews freed him; he’s now stable. FireRescue1+1
- Fire began just before 2 a.m., Dec. 17 near the ovens and spread through stacked matzah boxes; 3 civilians(including a 2-year-old) were treated for smoke inhalation. FireRescue1+1
- FDNY fought the blaze for nearly nine hours with ~175 personnel; DOB issued a full vacate order due to extensive damage and a partially collapsed roof; cause under investigation. FireRescue1+1
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — FDNY crews battled heavy fire and structural instability for nearly nine hours after flames ripped through the Boro Park Seder Matzah Bakery in the Kensington section of Brooklyn early Wednesday, injuring four people including a firefighter who was briefly trapped in a rear wall collapse, officials said. FireRescue1
The blaze broke out just before 2 a.m. on Dec. 17 at 1285 36th Street, igniting near the bakery ovens before racing into stacked boxes of matzah and product, according to FDNY and local reports. More than 175 firefighters and EMSconverged as smoke conditions intensified and companies pushed to the roof. During those operations, a rear portion of the building collapsed, pinning a member who was quickly extricated. He suffered burns to his hands and possible airway/respiratory burns and was hospitalized in stable condition, Assistant Chief Mike Woods said. FireRescue1+1
Three civilians, including a 2-year-old, were treated for smoke inhalation—one adult with a more serious respiratory injury—and were listed as stable, officials said. The Department of Buildings issued a full vacate order citing extensive fire damage and a partially collapsed roof, with some adjacent properties also affected. FDNY fire marshals are investigating the cause. ABC7 New York
Editor’s note: The bakery, which traces its operations back more than a century and produces hundreds of thousands of pounds of matzah annually, was heavily damaged. No additional firefighter injuries were reported beyond the initial member rescued after the collapse. ABC7 New York