FDNY members fought a three-alarm fire in Brooklyn on Saturday, facing brutal winter conditions as the city was under a Code Blue alert, with frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chill complicating the firefighting efforts.
The blaze broke out at 464 Clinton Ave. in Fort Greene, shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 7. Engine Company 219 and Ladder Company 105 responded to reports of an odor of smoke inside a residential building. Upon arrival, they quickly discovered fire in a third-floor apartment and a fourth-floor apartment. Conditions quickly worsened as flames extended upward through the building.
As the blaze grew stronger, Battalion 57 transmitted a second alarm. Fire officials reported that the blaze was running vertically from the third floor through the sixth floor and into the cockloft–the concealed space between the top floor ceiling and the roof–raising concerns about rapid fire spread and structural damage.
There were no reported injuries or deaths at press time.
Meanwhile, FDNY members were contending with multiple snow-covered and frozen hydrants while operating in freezing temperatures and forceful winds. Crews quickly worked to secure water sources as ice buildup slowed access, forcing firefighters to clear hydrants while maintaining suppression efforts.
Division 11 transmitted a third-alarm to keep units fresh. More than 170 members responded to the scene and used four hoselines to stop the spread of the fire.
The fire was placed under control at 10:30 p.m. The FDNY Fire Marshal’s office will determine the cause of the fire.
The incident underscores the challenges first responders face during extreme weather and Code Blue alerts, when life-threatening temperatures and frozen infrastructure place added strain on emergency services and residents throughout the city.
