6-Alarm Fire In Sunset Park Apartment Building Injures 23
April 4, 2019, 11:13 a.m.
The FDNY says the building is uninhabitable.
A devastating fire tore through a Brooklyn apartment building on Wednesday afternoon, and the hot spots continued to flare up on Thursday morning.
The fire broke out on the top of floor of 702 44th Street in Sunset Park, and the blaze grew larger and more difficult to put out due to 20-30 mph winds that gusted up to 40 mph yesterday. At one point the blaze grew so dangerously out of control that the FDNY had to pull firefighters back.
#FDNY members continue to operate on scene of a 5-alarm fire, 702 44 St. in #Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/YE4NMBBsNU
— FDNY (@FDNY) April 3, 2019
This fire has spread to the entire top floor in sunset park. The wind is v strong. pic.twitter.com/xZBlcR3eJR
— Henry Williams (@digitalhen) April 3, 2019
Sunset Park #fire @News12BK pic.twitter.com/68Aafe5FxE
— ᐯITᗩ_ᑎY 🗽 (@A_Fuego_Lento_) April 3, 2019
NOW: Heading to the scene of a 5 alarm fire in Sunset Park. @NY1noticias Joaquin Torres shot this video. Today’s high winds may make things complictated for firefighters. Follow @NY1 for the latest. pic.twitter.com/Y4pWwRdIRi
— Lori Chung (@lorichung) April 3, 2019
A total of 23 people—19 firefighters and four civilians—suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The building has 54 units, and at least 40 families were displaced. FDNY Chief of Department John Sudnik said the building's roof collapsed.
"The building is severely damaged due to smoke fire and water. It’s uninhabitable at this time," he added.
#NYPD Aviation #17 with @FDNY Battalion chief onboard provides aerial reconnaissance as firefighters battle a 6 alarm fire in Sunset Park Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/OHQoBrp7ka
— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) April 3, 2019
A nine-year-old resident told CBS New York, "I was terrified. I’ve seen videos of buildings getting burned down on the news and stuff like that, but nothing like this has ever happened to me."
