Thick smoke hung over Bushwick Tuesday after firefighters rushed to extinguish a six-alarm fire that raged through five row houses on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson and Knickerbocker avenues in the evening’s strong wind.
An FDNY spokesperson tells Bushwick Daily that the fire, which was first reported shortly after 10 p.m., started at 1427 DeKalb Ave., where it eventually consumed the roof of the three-story building. Dramatic videos of the fire posted to social media show an inferno roaring from the top of the three story building, which is adjacent to the nine-story apartment building at 1433 DeKalb Ave.
The fire took just over three hours to bring under control, with 201 firefighters, 50 pieces of FDNY apparatus, including helicopters and enough FDNY response vehicles to line the block.
11 individuals were reported injured, according the FDNY. Only one of the 11, a civilian, was reported to be in serious, though not life threatening, condition. Two other civilians and one firefighter were also transported to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center with minor injuries, and seven individuals refused medical attention.
An as of yet undisclosed number of block residents were displaced by both damage from the blaze and concerns about other health hazards posed by the fire. Bushwick Daily has reached out to the American Red Cross for additional information about displaced residents and will update as it is received.
Kevin Pelrine, who lives a block away from the scene, tells Bushwick Daily that at about 10:15 p.m., he and his partner witnessed “full on flames engulfing the entire roof” of their neighbor’s home. “This is the craziest thing I’ve seen in Bushwick,” he added.
Sophia Boothman, a resident of the block, tells Bushwick Daily that when she first saw the fire outside of her home, “people being led away coughing” were among the first things that she noticed. The severity of the scene compelled her to start packing her things—and ten minutes after she did so, the police were at her door telling her she needed to evacuate.
The Morning after.
Alonzo Maciel for Bushwick Daily
Bushwick Daily will continue to update this piece with additional information.