A devastating fire which engulfed a New York City residential building early Sunday morning killed three and injured 14, according to NBC New York.
Firefighters arrived at the residential building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn at around 5 a.m. and found all three floors on “heavy fire,” the outlet reported.
Three victims — two 35-year-old men and a 63-year-old woman — were reportedly found in critical condition and later died at a nearby hospital, authorities confirmed, per the outlet.
Firefighters rescued 14 other individuals who were either treated at the scene or rushed to a hospital, the outlet reported. At least six were found inside the building, while the others were in adjoining buildings, per the outlet.
Three people died and more than a dozen were injured after a 5 a.m. fire gutted a Brooklyn brownstone on Sunday, police and fire officials say. https://t.co/zv4mGiXXah
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) November 12, 2023
NYC Fire Department Chief of Operations John Esposito said the rescue was a “very difficult, dangerous fire operation,” the outlet noted. (RELATED: ‘I’ll Be Right Back’: Off-Duty Firefighter Saves Family From House Fire)
The fire department initiated a three-alarm response, meaning the amount of firefighters and essential resources dispatched to the scene was triple that of a basic response, per the outlet.
The cause of the fire remains unclear as of Sunday afternoon, per NBC New York.
In March a Washington, D.C. firefighter was fired after stopping for Chick-fil-A while responding to an emergency call with a colleague. The duo tried to justify their action by arguing that picking up their pre-ordered meal took “literally a few minutes tops.”