1 dead, 3 critically injured in Brooklyn apartment building fire, NYPD says
NEW YORK -- Police said one person was killed and three others, including a child, are in critical condition following a fire at an apartment building in Brooklyn.
The FDNY said multiple calls came in around 4 p.m. on Sunday and firefighters got to the scene in three minutes.
The fire broke out in a bedroom on the first floor of the six-story Gowanus Houses, a NYCHA building located at 178 Bond St. in Boerum Hill.
According to the FDNY, firefighters forced entry into the apartment and found four people inside -- two men, ages 67 and 60, a 51-year-old woman and a 2-year-old. The 67-year-old man was later pronounced dead at the hospital. All of the victims were rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest.
"They were all found in various locations trying to get to the front door. The female and the infant were right by the front door after we forced it open and the two adult males were in the kitchen," FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Duggan said.
Duggan said the child and woman, with the assistance of EMS, regained a pulse but were not breathing on their own.
CBS New York spoke with some witnesses.
"Just like imagine, you see this window, but flames coming up, and kind of grabbing the brick as well," Tyshawn Mitchell said. "I did see firefighters run inside as well, breaking the windows, using their instruments, their tools. So that's how bad, bad it was -- breaking the windows."
"So I was walking home from Target and I saw all the fire trucks and when I got closer, I saw them doing CPR on some guy, and I think that he lived in the building," another added.
Duggan said the fire was in the back bedroom and appeared to be near a mattress, adding about 60 firefighters responded and got the fire under control in about a half hour.
The fire marshal was on the scene Sunday night investigating the cause. The Red Cross was also present.
