A man killed in an early morning apartment fire in Bay Ridge on Sunday has been identified as Gregory Fernandez, a 37-year-old Navy veteran and father of one.
The fatal blaze broke out on the third floor of 510 80th St. shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 9, according to Fire Department officials.
Twelve units and 60 firefighters responded to the one-alarm fire, bringing it under control by 4:39 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire marshal.
Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker urged New Yorkers to avoid parking near hydrants, as two cars parked in front of the closest hydrants to the building hampered firefighting efforts.
“I’m begging New Yorkers in all five boroughs: Please do not leave your cars on hydrants,” Tucker said. “Cars parked on hydrants are part of the reason we have the outcome that we have here today—this is a fatal fire, and there’s no doubt that the cars that were parked on the hydrants have slowed down our members from engaging in firefighting tactics.”
First responders found Fernandez unconscious and unresponsive inside the apartment, according to the NYPD. He was transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine his cause of death.
Fernandez, who served in the Navy, had worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the past four years. He had also recently begun coaching basketball at St. Ephrem Catholic Academy in Dyker Heights.
Fernandez’s wife and their 2-year-old son were also treated at NYU Langone and are now in stable condition, police said.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Linda Bowen, the aunt of Fernandez’s wife, has raised more than $9,000 from 86 donations to help the family “rebuild their lives.”
Bowen wrote that the family lost all their household goods in the fire and described the loss of Fernandez as “devastating.” She said that funds will go toward funeral expenses, household needs, and travel costs for family members coming to New York to provide support.
“Anything you can donate to help this family would be so appreciated,” Bowen wrote.
The FDNY encouraged the public to call 311 to report any blocked or improperly opened fire hydrant.
