Four-Alarm Fire Tears Through Homes In Mill Basin; Up To 6 Firefighters Hurt
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A four-alarm fire tore through four homes in Mill Basin, Brooklyn late Monday afternoon, and as many as firefighters were injured in fighting the blaze.
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, the fire broke out inside a home at around 2:20 p.m. at 2218 National Dr., between Mill and Strickland avenues in Brooklyn, and spread to three neighboring homes. It was later raised to four alarms, requiring a large response from FDNY crews.
The fire was under control by 4:45 p.m., officials told CBS2. But two of the homes were completely destroyed, according to FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard.
Four-Alarm Fire Tears Through Homes In Mill Basin; Up To 6 Firefighters Hurt
A neighbor who was home at the time said at first, she thought the smell of smoke was coming from her own home, until she looked outside and saw that the smoke was pouring from her neighbor's house.
A total of 175 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene. Five or six firefighters suffered minor injuries in fighting the blaze, Leonard said.
Fire boats also helped out during the blaze, but had some trouble reaching the homes because of ice. Another boat had to come in to break the ice up, Leonard said.
"They had to take it slow, though," he said.
As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, Janine Cardone was at the scene staring up as a torrent of water from one of the fire boats blasted clear through a gaping hole that used to be a window.
"Just devastated -- just wanted to fall down," she said.
A gray scarf covered Cardone's head.
"Supposed to go to transplant this week. I couldn't, I couldn't make it because leukemia came back," she said. "Now I'm out of the hospital and I don't even have a home to go to."
Cardone was wondering what would happen next.
"I'm hoping to go in with the Red Cross to see what we can get, if anything," she said.
No residents were inside the homes at the time of the fires, and there was no word on the cause or origin of the blaze late Monday afternoon.
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