5-Alarm Fire Destroys 3 Multi-Family Homes In Cypress Hills, Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Firefighters from all over the city battled a 5-alarm fire in Brooklyn Sunday evening.
The flames were intense and moved fast, devouring three multi-family homes on Arlington Avenue in Cypress Hills, including Pilar Pena's home of eight years.
She was at work when the fire started.
"Somebody call me that my house is burning. But I don't know," she told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez.
"The best thing is nobody got hurt," Arturo Ortega said.
There were a handful of minor injuries and exterior damage to a church, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.
Neighbors shot cell phone video as the fire began raging out of control, huge flames shooting out of the homes. Fire investigators believe the fire started in a garage behind the homes.
Just minutes later, Ana DeLeon said firefighters were banging on her door down the street to evacuate.
"Scary. I was watching TV and right away we have to come down," DeLeon said.
Firefighters battled the flames that reached five alarms before contained. Witnesses watched the roof of one home collapse. The buildings are tight together and they're all wood-framed, enabling a rapid spread of flames.
The Ortega family's home is a total loss, but despite their devastation they are grateful for what they do have.
"The material is nothing," Adolfo Ortega said.
"At least everybody's fine. My mother, my grandchildren. Everybody's fine. And that's what really counts. My house-- my insurance can pay for that. A life? No," Miladys Ortega told CBS2.