A three-alarm fire broke out at a New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) evidence center on Tuesday morning.
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) received a call about a massive fire at the Erie Basin Auto Pound, an NYPD evidence center located in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, The New York Times reported.
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens announced at a press conference that eight people suffered minor injuries in the fire.
Watch as NYPD & FDNY executives provide an update on 3-alarm fire at 700 Columbia Street in Brooklyn. https://t.co/IAkk7nggnc
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 13, 2022
The auto pound burned for hours as about 150 firefighters from 33 fire units, along with three marine fire boats, worked until early Tuesday afternoon to contain the flames, according to the press conference. New York Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents also assisted in the FDNY operations. (RELATED: REPORT: Onlookers Scream As Boat Propeller Kills Woman Trying To Grab Sandals From Water)
ATF NY is on scene in support of our partners @FDNY in response to the three-alarm fire in Red Hook section of Brooklyn, NY. Please direct all media inquiries to @FDNY https://t.co/BOyRnxobaN pic.twitter.com/FwTV6K18We
— ATF New York (@ATFNewYork) December 13, 2022
Hodgens said the fire was “deep-seated,” making it difficult to reach, adding that several fire attacks forced crews out of the building for their safety for fear of it collapsing. The Erie Basin Auto Pound, which the NYPD operates along with one other auto evidence center in Queens, will remain dangerous as firefighters are expected to take days to end the blaze entirely, the NY Times reported.
“This fire is probably going to go on for a few days by the time we are able to fully extinguish it and get inside, possibly to get to the deep-seated areas,” Hodgens said.
The Brooklyn auto pound houses a “large amount of combustibles” that are considered evidence for crimes going back decades, including DNA and automobiles, Hodgens added.