Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Early this morning, at 1:39 AM, the FDNY received a call from a neighbor about a fire at 653 58th Street here in Sunset Park in Brooklyn. This was an intense, fast-growing three-alarm fire. When firefighters responded to the scene in less than four minutes, they were met by heavy fire in the basement, first and second floors.
I am heartbroken to announce that six New Yorkers lost their lives. Four were dead upon FDNY's arrival, while two more passed away at the hospital. All six were adults. Four civilians were also injured, while three firefighters and two police officers suffered minor injuries responding to the call.
I would like to ask all of us gathered here today, as well as New Yorkers across our city, to take a moment to pray for the full recovery for those who are injured and for the families who have lost their loved ones and whose lives have been devastated by this morning's fire.
And I would like to thank the FDNY, whose quick response brought this fire under control by 4:28 a.m. and whose professionalism ensured that this tragedy did not consume even more lives. This was a comprehensive response, with 74 units and 231 fire and EMS personnel on the scene.
It is still too early for us to determine the cause of this fire. However, as with every fire, the FDNY will conduct a comprehensive investigation. Once that investigation has been finalized, we will share its findings with New Yorkers.
This has been a whole-of-government response. In addition to the FDNY, NYCEM, NYPD and OCME are on the scene assisting those impacted and helping this neighborhood recover. Eight New Yorkers were displaced from nearby buildings, all of whom have since been transported to hotels.
I want to take a moment to say that I'm thankful to the Red Cross for supporting those who've been displaced.
This was a devastating fire. It will take a long time for this neighborhood to mourn the neighbors they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief. And as they do so, and as we rebuild, the City of New York will be here for them every step of the way.
Thank you. And now I would like to ask First Deputy Commissioner Flynn to share a few words.
First Deputy Commissioner Flynn: Thank you, Mayor. Good morning, everybody. We're here at the scene of this terrible tragedy here in Sunset Park. As the mayor mentioned, our units responded in three minutes and 18 seconds to the scene when we first received that call. There was heavy fire that they encountered on arrival. People were trapped. They were able to rescue four people from that building and transport them to local hospitals. Two of those people are still alive. And if not for the heroic efforts of our firefighters and EMS personnel, those people would be deceased as well.
So, I want to thank them for their effort there. They truly are heroes and did save lives here.
We also want to stress our fire safety messaging out there. You know, always have a plan. Always have a plan for fire. If fire breaks out, what are you going to do when a fire breaks out in your home? How will you escape? How will you notify everybody else in the house? Always know what to do in the case of a fire.
This was a terrible tragedy, and hopefully we'll get a cause for you as soon as possible. The fire marshals are on the scene. They are conducting their investigation. Once a cause is available, we will definitely share it with the media.
I would like to turn it over now to our chief of operations, Kevin Woods.
Chief of Operations Kevin Woods: Hi, good morning, everybody. As was mentioned, this was a very, very quick response to this building. Upon arrival, we had fire on every floor: cellar, first and second floor, fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door.
Our units moved in very aggressively, getting a hose line on each one of those floors for a very, very quick knockdown. They did a phenomenal job preventing further extension to the adjoining structures. You could see some extension to the building on the right; we identified that as our exposure four building.
This entire row of buildings, we call these buildings row frames. They're entirely made of wood. The roof, the floors, the walls and the exterior sheathing underneath that vinyl siding is wood. As you can see across the street, it's brick. That's wood, so they take off very, very rapidly.
Again, kudos to our units stopping that fire in its tracks.
In addition, we had occupants trapped on the first floor in the rear behind window bars. Our members were able to get in through a rear entrance and rescue those two occupants, and a phenomenal job by them as well.
We're evaluating the structural stability. We had to put a portable ladder from the first to the second floor. The stairs partially collapsed, and that's where we're operating now. And we will maintain a presence on the scene.
Thank you.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Chief of Operations Woods: It started - it spread to one home on the exterior only. So again, great aggressive work by our units preventing further extension in this row of 25 buildings.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: One home.
First Deputy Commissioner Flynn: We're still investigating. We do have some reports of people hearing smoke detectors activating at the time of the fire, yes.
Question: [Inaudible.]
First Deputy Commissioner Flynn: We're still under investigation at this time.
Question: [Inaudible.]
First Deputy Commissioner Flynn: On different floors, on the first and second floor.
Question: [Inaudible] could you describe how are firefighters getting into [inaudible] - are they literally crawling in? I mean, how do they enter the building?
First Deputy Commissioner Flynn: I'll leave that up to the chief of operations.
Chief of Operations Woods: So, we always stress the importance of not parking on hydrants, keeping it clear, and that [was] the case here. We need to get water on the fire very quickly, and that's what they did here.
We immediately stretched three hand lines. We had to start knocking down that fire from the stoop to get inside the interior. We operate what we call an aggressive interior fire attack in New York City. We save many, many lives with that operation.
Again, our units did a phenomenal job knocking that fire down very quickly and preventing further extension to the adjoining structures here. Again, 25 buildings in a row.
Question: Are you saying the hydrants were not blocked?
Chief of Operations Woods: No, they were not.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: Well, I think, first, I'm here alongside elected officials that we have, as well as incoming elected officials. And there are a number of things. The first, as you said, our focus is on the two New Yorkers who are still in the hospital. We are not only praying for them but looking at every single tool at our disposal.
Then, for the eight New Yorkers who were displaced, working with the Red Cross to ensure that they've been put up in hotels, which has already taken place, and looking at what does short- and medium-term support look like; because we know that fires are not only devastating in the moment, but also they displace New Yorkers from their homes, and they require help and support not just from their community but also from the city at large.
So, we are looking at all of these things.
Now, I also just want to emphasize two additional things. First is, as you've heard from FDNY, the incredible work of these firefighters. They got here in close to three minutes, and they were able to save people's lives. That is what firefighters are doing every single day across the city. And we know that the dangers that they face have only increased over time.
The second thing is just to emphasize that when we conclude this investigation, we will be sharing the results of it with New Yorkers.
However, even at this time, we can continue to emphasize the importance of fire safety. We are heading into winter. We know that New Yorkers, any tenant, deserves a level of heat within their home. If they are not receiving it, they should call 311.
We also know that the denial of that heat leads some tenants to purchase extension cords. There are safer ways to use those kinds of extension cords, as well as the fire safety measures that can be taken as a whole. And that is something that is a focus for us in ensuring that that education is within grasp of every single New Yorker.
