Families displaced after Gowanus building goes up in flames
Fire officials say the flames broke out just before 11 a.m. on the first floor of the building and quickly spread to the second and third floors.
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The FDNY responded to a large fire on Ninth Street near Third Avenue Thursday in Gowanus.
Fire officials say the flames broke out just before 11 a.m. on the first floor of the building and quickly spread to the second and third floors.
Investigators say that the building, which is around 100 years old, required over 140 fire and emergency personnel to respond in order to put out the flames.
Neighbors say that the wood frame of the building may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
“We had fire on the second and third floor and had extension to the building on the right,” said one FDNY official at a press conference held shortly after the fire was put out.
Red Cross and local elected officials were spotted on the scene, helping out those in need.
“My office is going to be on call, on site… to make sure the residents who are most directly impacted have shelter, food, and any other resource they need directly,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif.
Four families are now currently without a home following the fire – including a next-door neighbor.
“It’s awful, thank god no one was hurt,” said Richard Medina, the next-door neighbor who’s been displaced from his home by this incident. “Thank God we only lost stuff and no lives.”
Two firefighters were taken to hospitals, where they were treated for muscle and knee injuries. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
