Tenants displaced after fire tears through alleged illegally converted basement
The blaze broke out on New York Avenue near Avenue D just before 9:30 a.m.
A fire tore through the basement of a home in East Flatbush Tuesday, leaving several tenants displaced and at least one person hospitalized.
The blaze broke out on New York Avenue near Avenue D just before 9:30 a.m.
Tenant Lewis Dawkins said he woke up to the smell of smoke and spotted flames coming from a neighbor's room in the basement. He says he ran upstairs to alert other residents, who called 911.
The FDNY contained the flames in under 30 minutes.
Officials say one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Dawkins says he suffered from mild smoke inhalation.
Tenants say the fire started behind a wall in the basement and believe it was electrical. The FDNY has not confirmed an official cause.
It is alleged that the home had been illegally converted into a rooming house, with unauthorized rooms in the basement, according to complaints filed with the Department of Buildings between 2011 and 2014.
The DOB told News 12 it closed the complaints after inspectors were denied access inside the home twice.
The American Red Cross is assisting displaced tenants with essentials and temporary housing.
