Two separate residential fires left 24 people displaced in East Flatbush over the weekend.
On Friday, Dec. 20, shortly before 8 p.m., a two-alarm fire broke out at a single-family home on the 800 block of New York Avenue, near Linden Boulevard. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the flames had spread through the first and second floors and the attic of the wood-framed home.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene, and were able to bring the fire under control by 9:15 p.m. All residents escaped safely, and none were harmed, per the FDNY.
But seven people — four adults and three children — were displaced by the home and sought emergency housing and financial assistance from the American Red Cross, according to the organization.
“You hate to see this situation around the holidays,” a neighbor told Brooklyn Paper. “I hope those impacted get housing quickly.”
Just two days later and roughly two miles away, firefighters battled bitter cold and gusty winds as they responded to an apartment fire at 642 East 96th St.
The FDNY arrived on the scene shortly after 12:30 p.m. to thick smoke in a second-floor unit and hallway, and roughly sixty firefighters used two hose-lines to knock down the main body of the fire as others searched for trapped residents inside.
All tenants had escaped the blaze, and none were injured. Five households, including 11 adults and six children, were displaced and are being housed temporarily by the Red Cross.
“Over the next few days, these residents will have the opportunity to meet with our casework team, to discuss their longer-term recovery needs and be connected with government agencies or other nonprofits that may be able to assist them,” a Red Cross spokesperson told Brooklyn Paper.
The East 96th Street apartment building has a number of open violations from the city agencies, records show.
In 2019, inspectors found an illegally-constructed unit, with an unlawful gas stove, kitchen sink, and full bathroom, in the building’s basement, according to the Department of Buildings.
The building also has 164 open violations from the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, ranging from broken locks to blocked public hallways and a leaking roof.
The FDNY’s fire marshal is working to determine the cause of both fires.
