3 killed, 14 injured in Brooklyn house fire, FDNY says
NEW YORK -- The NYPD confirmed three people died in a tragic house fire in Brooklyn on Sunday morning.
It happened in Crown Heights, where several other people were able to escape from the intense flames.
"We were home sleeping and all I heard was my mom saying, 'Fire! Fire! Get out! Fire! Fire!,'" next-door neighbor Abigail Cepada said.
Cepada shot video after she and her family escaped from their home on Albany Avenue at around 4 a.m.
"This fire was extremely powerful. It was really bad. The whole house was on fire," Cepada said.
This am, FDNY responded to a 3-alarm fire on 242 Albany Avenue in Bkn. Units arrived and found a 3-story building w/ heavy fire on all 3 floors.
— FDNY (@FDNY) November 12, 2023
Total of 17 patients, including 3 w/ critical injuries taken from the fire building & 1 FF w/ serious, non-life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/a06178gihr
The house next to them went up in flames in a matter of minutes. Ring camera obtained by CBS New York shows the fire in the front of the house growing in seconds, shooting flames up to the top floors.
The FDNY said it took more than 130 firefighters to fight the intense smoke and flames.
"We found a three-story building that had heavy fire on three floors, heavy fire out the top-floor windows, out the second-floor windows, in the doorway, and fire in the first floor as well," Chief of Fire Operation John Esposito said.
The damage to the home was significant. Pretty much everything was destroyed inside of it. Furniture and debris were seen outside. Police confirmed three people who were at the home died.
"My mother, she was one person come out, look like really bad, look like they wasn't going to make it," Cepada said.
Police said 81-year-old Albertha West, her 58-year-old son, Michael West, and 33-year-old grandson Jamiyl West were pronounced dead at the hospital. A family member told CBS New York that Albertha West had lost another son, Henry West, on Thursday, so it has been a tragic few days for the family.
"These are good people. They've been here forever. They've been here all their life. So for this to happen and not see them no more, it's devastating," a Crown Heights resident named Ricardo said.
"This is the kind of block where everyone knows everyone and they've been here for generations," neighbor Sheldon Rogers added.
"Every time I saw her come outside I would say hi to her. One of the most peaceful, loving ladies," Cepada said.
"It's like you're waking up in a dream and you're hoping it's just a dream, but it's true," neighbor George Williams said.
Officials said 14 other people were injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.