While responding to a fire in Bushwick early yesterday morning, firefighters found the unconscious body of a 25-year-old woman who was pronounced dead at the scene. Now it turns out that the victim was a notable transgender performer, Lorena Escalera, who was the "Puerto Rican Beyoncé." more ›

Ever dream of recreating the summer of 1963, when 17-year-old New Yorker Frances "Baby" Houseman took a family vacation to Kellerman's Resort in the Catskills? Well, now you'll never have the opportunity to awkwardly carry a watermelon into an after-hours staff party, because over the weekend the place was destroyed by a fire. Formerly the Brown's Hotel, it later became a 396-unit condominium complex, but as its former incarnation it served as (at least one of) the Catskills resorts that inspired the film. The fire was called the "largest fire in Catskills history," and in the end burned down 7 of the 9 buildings on the grounds. more ›

Superhero invincible Newark Mayor Saint Cory Booker is still surfing a golden wave of publicity after rescuing a woman from a burning building Thursday night. His eternally grateful constituent, Zina Hodge, 48, is still recovering from burns and smoke inhalation at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, but she gave her first interview to Fox 9 last night, and you really can't buy this kind press: more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] One firefighter died this afternoon trying to extinguish a fire at 930 Flushing Avenue, where a two story commercial building went up in flames. The firefighter has been identified as Lieutenant Rich Nappi of Engine 237. Five other firefighters were injured—four with minor injuries, and one with serious injuries—that seriously injured FDNY member is now listed in stable condition at Kings County Hospital. more ›

When Newark Mayor Cory Booker isn't personally shoveling constituents' driveways or donating kidneys to homeless people (only one of those is a joke) he's rushing into burning buildings to save neighbors' lives. Last night Booker arrived home to find the second floor of the house next door going up in flames, and no firefighters or EMS in sight. Naturally, he shoved past his security detail and dashed into the inferno. more ›

A fire in a residential building near the intersection of Bedford Avenue and North 7th Street in Williamsburg was brought under control a few minutes before noon. Despite reports of the fire starting in the basement of the structure, an FDNY spokesman said it originated on the second floor, and didn't believe that Fornino Pizza, located on the ground floor of 187 Bedford Ave, had anything to do with the blaze. more ›

Early Thursday morning, a grandmother and four of her grandchildren were killed in a massive house fire in South Plainfield, NJ. The blaze killed 62-year-old Ann Jefferson, as well as grandchildren Alize, 12; Tyler, 7; Christopher, 3; and Elijah, 2. Authorities now say that there were no working smoke detectors inside the home, which was a converted 19th century farmhouse.“It was like a brick oven in there,” Fire Chief Tom Scalera said at a press conference. “It was a cauldron—more than 2,000 degrees.” more ›

A grandmother and four of her grandchildren were killed in a massive house fire in South Plainfield, NJ early this morning. The fire started sometime between 2:30 and 3 a.m. this morning inside a converted 19th century farmhouse. The identities of the victims haven't been released yet, but News 12 reported that a 12-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, a 3-year-old boy, a 2-year-old and their grandmother were killed. Three other children escaped, including an 8-year-old who was taken to the hospital in critical condition. more ›

A fire broke out in a Queens home around 3 a.m. today, and the growing flames prompted a mother to throw her child out of a second-floor window. NBC New York reports, "The child, described as 2 or 3 years old, landed safely in the arms of civilians who gathered on the sidewalk next to the flaming building, said Dan Delargy, one of the first FDNY responders with Ladder 155." Delargy said, "As we were getting set up, the lady couldn't wait for us and she dropped her baby out the window. She was hanging out as far as she could and there were civilians walking by and they caught the baby." more ›

A Bronx stepdad died in an apartment fire earlier today as he tried to look for his stepdaughter, who it turned out wasn't home. Police say that Tyril Royer, 65, became trapped in the third floor apartment on East 234th Street just after 12:50 a.m. He had stayed in the apartment to save his stepdaughter: "My dad died as a hero," 22-year-old Kemara James told the News. "He thought I was inside and he died trying to save me." more ›

An unidentified middle-aged man died after a fire engulfed an unused room in the Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street F station. MTA officials believe the man was living in the room, which is located about 150 feet from one of the F train platforms. Firefighters were called to the station around 8:30 last night to investigate reports of smoke in the station. They soon traced the smoke to the room, which the MTA says had been used for communications. more ›

[Update, more videos below] A van burst into flames in front of Foley Square earlier this afternoon, directly in front of the courthouse at 1 Federal Plaza. According to the FDNY the van caught fire at 1:52 p.m. and was put out quickly with no injuries reported. more ›

Early Saturday morning, 22 show horses were killed in a massive barn fire in northern New Jersey. Authorities say the fire, which they believe was an accident, broke out at the Heritage Acres farm in Lafayette; by the time firefighters arrived just before 2 a.m., the barn was already engulfed in flames. The owners, who did not have insurance, are devastated: "We’re just going to sell our property. It was our business and we’re too old to start over," 73-year-old Betty Hahn told the Star-Ledger. more ›

A fire that broke out in a Poughkeepsie home early yesterday morning claimed the lives of two Marist College female students and a male friend. Four other people, two female students who lived in the home and two male students, managed to escape the blaze. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that town police "said one of the Marist male students who was sleeping upstairs awoke at about 1:30 a.m., determined the doorknob of the bedroom door was hot. The student and the female who was in the room with him jumped out the second-floor window to safety." more ›

The Christmas Day house fire that claimed the lives of three little girls and their grandparents is still the focus of a criminal investigation by Connecticut authorities. The Post reports, "Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said his investigators have talked to several people involved in the work being done on the $1.7 million Stamford home of Manhattan ad exec Madonna Badger." more ›

The Brooklyn man who allegedly confessed to cops that he killed a 73-year-old woman by setting her on fire in a Prospect Heights elevator was arraigned yesterday—and more details about that alleged confession came to light. Police claim that Jerome Isaac boasted at the time of his arrest that he would have gotten away with the murder of Deloris Gillespie if he hadn't turned himself in: “If the video wasn’t there, you would still be looking for me,” he declared, despite having burned half his face during the attack. more ›

A house fire in New Jersey this week led to the arrest of a Pratt professor on charges of endangering the welfare of a child. According to the New Jersey State Police, 76-year-old architecture professor Gamal El-Zoghby was arrested after firefighters battling a blaze in his Eagleswood Township home found child pornography hidden in the ceiling. more ›

A seven-year-old boy was killed, and seven others were injured in a three-alarm fire in a Brooklyn apartment building early this morning. The fire broke out at 1:40 a.m. at a 3-story apartment at 1066 Decatur Street and a neighboring building in Bushwick. According to police, Joel Smith, 7, was found unconscious inside and died at the scene: "There was a lot of smoke coming out of the house and then I saw a shirtless man come out of the house with his son in his arms, his son was dead," witness Johnny Pache told the Post. "He was crying a whole bunch. He put his son in a car near-by while the ambulances showed up." more ›

Not to be all Smokey the Bear about it, but since deadly fires happen most often in the winter months, now is a good time to brush up on some fire safety. We talked to FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer recently, and got tips on dealing with fires in different types of city dwellings. After all, how you deal with a fire in your home all depends on what type of home you live in. more ›