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Closing Bell: Engine 281 Celebrates 100th Anniversary
Ditmas Park Corner visited Engine 281 and Ladder 147 in honor of their 100th Anniversary, which they will celebrate tomorrow. The company, which was formed in 1914 to extinguish difficult fires at the large Victorian houses being built around Cortelyou Road, now serves Ditmas, Borough Park, Midwood, East Flatbush, Lefferts, Park Slope and Windsor Terrace. It received the moniker “Da Pride ‘A’ Flatbush” in the late ’70s, with the rise of abandoned buildings and crime in the area. DPC talks to the station members about driving the truck down narrow, congested Cortelyou Road, cooking and cleaning in the station, Liam Neeson, and what it’s like to work in the neighborhood… it’s a fun read! The Engine 281 and Ladder 147 Centennial Celebration will be held tomorrow, May 16, at 11 am outside the firehouse. The event is open to the public.
FDNY Engine 281 & Ladder 147 Celebrate 100 Years Of Service in Flatbush [DPC]
Photo via DPC
05/15/2013 4:00 PM
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Fire at Putnam and Marcy in Bed Stuy
A tipster just sent in this photo of a house on fire right now at Putnam and Marcy in Bed Stuy. Anyone know what’s happening?
04/15/2013 3:10 PM
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Fire at Pratt Damages Building, Destroys Artwork
The fire that broke out at Pratt Institute early Friday morning badly damaged the 1887 landmarked building at 200 Willoughby Avenue and destroyed student artwork housed in the 42 upper floor studios used by seniors. According to a statement from the school, “the six-story building’s roof and its sixth floor were gutted. The fifth floor was badly damaged by the fire and there is water damage throughout the building.” One student who lost all of her work just before her interview at Yale University’s graduate school of art told the Times, “‘My studio’s gone, everything I’ve made at Pratt is gone,’ Ms. De Los Angeles said, sobbing as she stood outside the student union near the site of the fire. ‘I don’t even think I have a pencil.’” The chief of fire operations told the paper, “‘inside there’s quite a bit of destruction. It’s all wood inside and the roof did collapse on the left side of the building on the top floor. There’s a lot of damage up there, and we have a lot of water damage.’” The fire caused minor injuries to three firefighters and one unidentified person and the blaze is under investigation. Classes that would normally take place in the building are being scheduled elsewhere.
Fire at Pratt Institute Destroys Studios and Artwork of Students [NY Times]
Fire Claims Student Artwork [NY Post]
Massive Fire at Pratt Damages Building [Brownstoner]
Photo via Fire Fighting News
02/19/2013 10:15 AM
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Massive Fire at Pratt Damages Building
Just before 2:15 am last night a fire erupted on the top floor of 200 Willoughby Avenue on the Pratt Institute campus. The fire soon engulfed the building and raged for two hours before it was brought under control, a fire department spokesman told DNAinfo. A source told the New York Post that flammable materials in an art classroom increased the intensity of the blaze. Two fire fighters suffered minor injuries. According to the ABC News website, the fire damaged the building’s sixth floor and roof and smoke and water likely damaged the floors below. The building houses administrative offices on the lower floors and classrooms above and it was supposedly locked and empty when the fire broke out. The blaze has been deemed suspicious and is under investigation. You can view the ABC video of the fire here.
UPDATE: We received the following update from a Pratt spokesperson: The six-story building’s roof and its sixth floor were gutted. The fifth floor was badly damaged by the fire and there is water damage throughout the building. The historic Main Building, which was built in 1887, houses fine art classes and studios in addition to administrative offices. Classes have been cancelled in Main Building and the adjoining South Hall for today, Friday, February 15 and tomorrow, Saturday, February 16.
Fire Damages Building on Pratt Campus [NY Post]
Two Firefighters Injured in Massive Blaze at Pratt [DNAinfo]
Huge Fire Tears Through Pratt Institute Building [WABC]
Photo via NYCity Alerts
02/15/2013 9:00 AM
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Breaking: House on Fire in Eastern Bed Stuy
There are more than ten emergency vehicles with their lights flashing and two ladders up at 672 Decatur Street as we write this, but when we ran out to take a photo, we didn’t see any fire or smoke — yet. The three-story wood frame house is located between Thomas Boyland and Saratoga Avenue. Update: We count eight fire trucks and four ambulances, as well as other assorted responders, including vehicles marked “hazmat” and “major emergency response.”
01/11/2013 11:45 AM
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Closing Bell: Fire at Oslo Coffee Today
A fire ripped through popular Williamsburg coffee house Oslo this afternoon, reports Gothamist. Firefighters took care of the blaze at 328 Bedford Avenue in about 45 minutes and no one was injured. Oslo employees are not sure how the fire started but the place has basically been gutted. As Gothamist points out, there is still another Oslo location in Williamsburg at 133 Roebling Street.
Photos, Video: Oslo Burns! Williamsburg Coffee Shop “Gutted” By Fire [Gothamist]
Photo by Lauren Koueiter via Gothamist
01/09/2013 4:00 PM
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Suspicious Fire Damages Clinton Hill Church
The entrance and exterior of a Clinton Hill church built in 1891 and being used as a homeless shelter and hub for Occupy Sandy relief efforts were charred in a suspicious fire that started just before 4 am Sunday, many news outlets reported. Cans of gas intended for emergency generators were used to start the fire. The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is located at 520 Clinton Avenue. “Why do people do bad things?” the New York Daily News quoted Reverend Chris Ballard, the church’s curate, as saying. “We don’t know and our job is to try to work past that, try to find forgiveness. This is the season of it.” Sunday morning the choir sang outside the church, and services were held at a few blocks away at Brown Memorial Baptist Church. The church will hold Christmas Eve midnight mass tonight at 10 pm. Council Member Tish James sent out a press release stating that a reward of $1,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever set the fire.
Fire Damages Brooklyn Church [NY Times]
Historic Brooklyn Church Damaged in Early Morning Blaze [NY Daily News]
Photo by Vic Nicastro for New York Daily News
12/24/2012 9:00 AM
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Fire Rips Top Floor of Prospect Heights Apartments
On Friday a reader wrote in, “There was a huge fire on the fourth floor of 386 Prospect Place last night around 12:30 am. I was at Way Station when we saw the flames coming out of the top three windows.” As of this weekend, only windows on the top floor were boarded up, so the fire must have been pretty well contained. The rest of the building, luckily, still appears habitable. GMAP
12/17/2012 11:00 AM
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Fire on Court Street
A reader just sent in this photo of a fire on Court Street. We don’t have an exact address, but the fire appears to be coming from D’Amico Foods, in the opinion of our tipster. (D’Amico’s is at 309 Court Street between Degraw and Sackett.) When we lived in Carroll Gardens, that’s where we bought our coffee. Anyone have more info?
Update: Pardon Me for Asking has confirmed the fire is at D’Amico’s and has lots of pictures.
10/03/2012 3:55 PM
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Fire Rips Through Studebaker Showroom in Crown Heights
A reader sent in this photo with the news that a fire has torn through the Studebaker Showroom at 1469 Bedford Avenue (not the Studebaker Service Station at 1000 Dean Street) in Crown Heights. Anyone have more information?
Automobile Row’s Studebaker Building [Brownstoner]
09/18/2012 10:17 AM
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Update on Last Night’s Cobble Hill Fire
Thanks to the reader who sent in this photo of the house at 57 Tompkins Place near the corner of Degraw in Cobble Hill that burned last night. Our tipster said the building to the left may have smoke damage. That’s a fire restoration van parked out in front. Another reader emailed us this morning to report that the building was recently gut renovated and the owners were supposed to move in today, as we reported earlier. It looks like the damage could be extensive.
08/29/2012 4:35 PM
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Fire at a Vacant Brownstone on Degraw Street Last Night
A reader sent in this photo yesterday evening of a fire on Degraw Street between Clinton and Court (actual address 57 Tompkins Place). The Gothamist news map pulled up this police report: “62 Tompkins Place & Degraw St. Fire on the third floor of a three-story vacant brownstone under construction.” As of now, we don’t have any more details. Can anyone fill us in on the accident or the state of the brownstone this morning? UPDATE: According to a tipster, this was a gut renovation that had been done over the past year that has now burned to the ground. The owners were supposed to move in TODAY! If anyone’s in the area, we’d appreciate a fresh photo.
08/29/2012 10:00 AM
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Suspicious Fire Leaves Eight Homeless on Jefferson
A fire at 476A Jefferson Ave. between Throop Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard gutted the building Sunday night, leaving eight people homeless, according to Bed Stuy Patch. The fire started around 8:30 pm on the stairs, apparently during an argument between two brothers. “One of them ended up getting some gasoline and poured it in on the steps,” said displaced resident Barry Kirton. “Then he lit it and they both ran out.”
07/30/2012 10:45 AM
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Cypress Hills Factory Fire Disrupts Commute
A fire that broke out in an abandoned factory after 3 pm Monday at 3250 Fulton St. in Cypress Hills just kept getting bigger. After 16 hours, 170 firefighters finally brought the seven-alarm conflagration under control. Smoky conditions suspended service on the J train from Broadway Junction to Jamaica Parsons-Archer. Traffic was also disrupted. The factory, made up of nine buildings, is the former Blue Ridge Farms Food processing plant, according to FDNY officials. Six firefighters sustained minor injuries.
Brooklyn Factory Fire Under Control After 16 Hours [NBC]
Officials Investigate Five-Alarm Factory Fire [NY1]
Huge Fire Tears Through Cypress Hills Factory [DNAinfo]
Photo by DNAinfo.com
07/24/2012 9:15 AM
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Fire at 50 Bridge Street Yesterday
A fire broke out yesterday afternoon on the roof of 50 Bridge Street, a converted residential building in Dumbo. According to the tipster who took these photos, the cause is still unknown. You can check out the entire set of photos here. GMAP
07/09/2012 9:30 AM
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A Brownstone on Fire in Park Slope
A reader sent along this picture of a fire happening in Park Slope, adding “Looked out my window at 1 Hanson a few minutes ago and grabbed this shot… not sure what was on fire, but it looks like it’s out now. Probably burned for 10-15 minutes.” It looks like this was caused from a brownstone blaze at 7th Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Street, first reported by Gothamist. They think it is at 196 7th Avenue and that the fire may have emanated from the roof. Please send along any more info if you have it… Update from OTBKB: No injuries and the occupants have been allowed to return to the building. Another reader tells us it was the Tarzian Housewares building on fire, possibly just the roof and top apartment. He says: “FDNY was super quick to extinguish the fire.”
07/06/2012 1:22 PM
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More Details on New Building at 816 Washington Ave.
Plans are coming together for a new building set to rise at 816 Washington Avenue; the original structure was destroyed in a three-alarm fire a year ago. Last Thursday the owner and developer petitioned Community Board 8 for a variance to rebuild. The developers are planning a five-story building with four three-bedroom apartments and four four-bedroom apartments. It will be 100 percent affordable, with rents roughly around $1,500 and $1,700 a month. All the tenants who were displaced due to the fire are guaranteed an apartment and the few apartments that aren’t inhabited by former tenants will be offered to renters via a lottery. The variance is needed because the former building was overbuilt, but the developer still wants to build eight units with the same square footage. CB8 approved the variance and the developer plans to go to the Board of Standards and Appeals in mid-September. The ground-floor retail will return, but the previous tenants will not and the commerical rent will be market rate. As for the design, there will be a red brick exterior but, as developer Larry Hirschfield says, “We’re not looking for an exact replica of the previous design.”
New Building To Rise From Ashes in Prospect Heights [Brownstoner]
Bulldozers for Fire-Damaged Building on Washington Ave. [Brownstoner] GMAP
Four-Alarm Fire Destroys Washington Ave Building [Brownstoner]
06/19/2012 11:05 AM
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Fire at Con Ed Plant in Dumbo Yesterday
McBrooklyn noted that at around 5:20 yesterday “an explosion rocked the Con Edison plant (at the John Street substation) in the Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO and thick black clouds of smoke filled the sky.” Also of note: “In September 2011, a transformer fire erupted at the substation but was quickly extinguished. Con Ed has plans to tear down the plant. Brooklyn Bridge Park leadership has discussed expanding into part or all of the site.”
Explosion, Fire at Con-Ed Plant in DUMBO, Brooklyn [McBrooklyn]
04/30/2012 10:15 AM
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Goodbye, 804 Jefferson Avenue, and Goodnight
Via a reader we have the photo above, which shows that the historic mansion at 804 Jefferson Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant is no longer in existence. The building, which was more or less a textbook case of demolition by neglect, caught on fire last weekend, and both it and a neighboring building are now demolished. On the jump, a photo Montrose took of the building a year-and-a-half ago, when it was already in a sorry state.
Historic, Fire-Ravaged Bed-Stuy Mansion Probably a Goner [Brownstoner]
Fire at Historic Bed-Stuy House [Brownstoner] GMAP
Walkabout: The House at 804 Jefferson Ave. [Brownstoner] (more…)
04/25/2012 2:40 PM
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Historic, Fire-Ravaged Bed-Stuy Mansion Probably a Goner
As noted on Monday, a fire broke out over the weekend at the historic Bedford-Stuyvesant house 804 Jefferson Avenue and the house next to it. Yesterday, in the early evening, reader David Keegan stopped by the scene to see how the properties were faring, and took the photo above, as well as the one on the jump. David had this to say: “When I stopped by, at about 5 p.m., there was a crew pulling beams out of both 804 Jefferson and the adjacent house. They were also walling off the front yards from the sidewalk with plywood sheets. There was a cop out front from the 81st Precinct who was none to happy to see me on the sidewalk with a camera. …I asked her if anyone was hurt in the fire; she said no.” David also adds: “The devastation is such a shame; those were once someones’ beautiful homes, and jewels in the neighborhood.” So sad. It does not look like the property is long for this world. For more history on 804 Jefferson, read Montrose Morris’s article about it from a year-and-a-half ago.
Fire at Historic Bed-Stuy House [Brownstoner] GMAP
Walkabout: The House at 804 Jefferson Ave. [Brownstoner] (more…)
04/19/2012 9:30 AM
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williamsburg_guys
Jun 18, 2013 | 09:35 AM