Fire Engineering

Just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday, the FDNY responded to 653 58th Street in Brooklyn for a fire that was reported by nearby residents. Units arrived in approximately three minutes. Six people died in this fire—four were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died after being transported to area hospitals. "Upon arrival, we had fire on every floor—cellar, first and second floors—fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door," Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said. "Our units moved in very aggressively, getting a hoseline on each one of those floors for a very, very quick knockdown." FDNY members rescued victims trapped on the first floor in the rear of the home behind window bars. There was also a partial collapse of a staircase inside the home. Additionally, there were injuries to four other civilians, three firefighters and two police officers. Seventy-four units, totaling 231 fire and EMS personnel, responded to the 3-alarm fire. The fire was placed under control at about 4:30 a.m. The cause remains under investigation by FDNY Fire Marshals.

At approximately 4:22 p.m. Monday, the FDNY responded to 48-08 47th Street in Queens for a report of a worker trapped up to his waist following a soil collapse near an apartment building. "Working alongside a Con Edison vacuum truck to suction away dirt and debris from around the victim, our Special Operations members stabilized the excavation with two trench struts and a rigged four-to-one system off a 24-foot ladder high point to hoist him out of the hole," Battalion Chief Ryan Traina said. A total of 162 FDNY personnel from 28 fire units and 11 EMS units operated on scene. FDNY Rescue Paramedics assessed the worker during the rescue operation and provided medical care following his removal. The worker suffered minor injuries and was transported to Elmhurst Hospital for further evaluation.