A fire that raced through a wood-frame Brooklyn home killed six adults and broke the stairs inside, while firefighters saved two people trapped behind barred windows.
Story Highlights
- The fire broke out shortly before 1:40 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, at 653 58th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
- Six adults died: four at the scene and two at a hospital. Nine others were hurt.
- The inside staircase partly collapsed, so crews used a ladder to reach the second floor.
- Lithium-ion batteries were found; fire marshals are investigating and have not named a cause.
- With the stairs gone, crews set a portable ladder inside the burning house to keep searching between the floors.
What Happened On 58th Street
Firefighters pulled up 3 minutes and 18 seconds after the first call, officials said. Flames were already pouring through the basement and both floors of the two-story home. The house sits in a tight row of wooden homes. Its roof, floors and walls are wood, with vinyl siding on the outside. Fire officials said that kind of building, called “row frame,” helped the fire spread fast.
Six adults died. Four were pronounced dead at the scene, and two died at a hospital, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at an 8 a.m. briefing. Nine other people were hurt: four residents, three firefighters and two police officers. The firefighters and officers had minor injuries. The names of the dead have not been released. The mayor asked New Yorkers to “take a moment to pray for the full recovery for those who were injured” and for the families who lost loved ones.
Stair Collapse Complicated Rescues
The fire partly collapsed the staircase inside the home. Officials said people were trapped on the upper floor. To keep searching, crews set a portable ladder inside the house between the first and second floors. City building officials are checking whether what is left of the home is safe to stand.
Crews still found people they could save. Firefighters carried four people out and rushed them to hospitals, and two of them survived. Two more people were trapped behind bars on the rear windows of the first floor. Firefighters went in through a back entrance and pulled them out. About 231 fire and medical workers answered the call, and the blaze grew to three alarms, which means three waves of extra crews. They knocked down the main body of the fire shortly before 2:40 a.m. The flames reached the house next door before crews stopped them.
Cause Under Investigation, Battery Scrutinized
Fire marshals, the fire department’s own fire investigators, are working to find what started the blaze. Lithium-ion batteries were found inside the home. These are the rechargeable batteries used in e-bikes, scooters and phones. A hazardous materials team, which handles dangerous substances, was called because of them. The fire department said batteries like these are not unusual in homes. Investigators are checking whether one of them started this fire.
Mayor Mamdani said it is “too early” to name the exact cause. New Yorkers have reason to watch closely. About one week before, a fire at the Patterson Houses in the Bronx killed a mother and her three children, and officials said a lithium-ion battery sparked it. For the families on 58th Street, the loss is already plain: six people are gone, and two people are alive because firefighters reached them in time.
Sources:
patch.com, cbsnews.com, brooklyn.news12.com, fox5ny.com
