NEW YORK — Two firefighters and an FDNY lieutenant were seriously injured Friday when a massive blaze tore through a pair of homes in a Staten Island duplex, causing a section of the building to collapse, fire officials said.
“I cannot emphasize enough that this was a very close call for the FDNY,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at a news conference. “We could have lost three members today.”
The fire erupted inside the two-story structure on Shotwell Avenue near Waring Avenue in Arden Heights at about 1:30 p.m. and quickly raged out of control.
Officials said the fire started in one of two duplex units and quickly moved past a a wall to the other unit. Firefighters arrived within minutes, the FDNY said — and they were met with heavy flames.
“There was a heavy volume of fire in both buildings,” said FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens. “The first engine and truck company to arrive went into the building on the left and started to fight that fire.
“Quickly after, the second engine and ladder company went into the building on the right.”
Within an hour the blaze had reached four alarms, bringing hundreds of firefighters to the scene. Hodgens said strong winds complicated the firefighting effort.
“As the firefighters were inside searching for occupants, the windows failed and the wind blew the fire intensely into the building right at the firefighters,” Hodgens said.
“Two of them became trapped by fire. One was able to make their way to a balcony and jump off the second-floor balcony down into the driveway. And one transmitted a mayday signal that he was in distress and he was on the second floor.”
A backup squad quickly arrived and rescued the lieutenant from the second floor, Hodgens said.
Hodgens said a firefighter holding a hose became a bit disoriented.
“He got hit in the head by maybe falling plaster and it knocked his mask his face piece off his face a little bit and he took a good amount of smoke,” Hodgens said.
Sources said one firefighter was pulled unconscious from the collapse, and was later diagnosed with a brain injury before regaining consciousness. A second firefighter suffered a pelvic injury, and the fire lieutenant was being treated for burns.
All three were taken to Staten Island University North Hospital. A total of 22 firefighters suffered injuries battling the blaze. Most of the injuries were minor. Mayor Eric Adams visited firefighters at the hospital.
Kavanagh praised the backup team that rescued the trapped firefighters, and the EMTs who treated them at the scene.
“They’re alert, they’re talking, they’re cracking jokes, which we’re very grateful for,” Kavanagh said of the firefighters. “We are going to monitor them. They are in serious condition but they are awake, alert and talking.”
No civilians were injured in the fire.
The fire was brought under control at about 2:30 p.m., officials said.
A union official said firefighters could have put out the blaze sooner if a nearby engine company had not been closed.
“(T)he closest firehouse to this fire, Engine 167, was actually closed today due to scheduled firefighter medical exams,” Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said in a statement.
Because Engine 167 was closed, firefighters had to travel farther to fight the blaze, Ansbro said.
“Compounding the company being closed, a responding engine company was involved in an accident on the way to the scene, delaying the response of much-needed additional resources,” he said.
The cause of the blaze was still under investigation.
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