A two-alarm fire broke out at 55 Harrison Place in Bushwick, Brooklyn around 4:48 a.m. this morning. According to WCBS 2, one person, who was "one of two people trapped by flames on the second floor," died while "Four other people were injured; three with minor injuries and one with more serious injuries." more ›

Earlier this morning, a fire engulfed a house at 3916 Avenue K in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Firefighters found two men dead inside, but 1010 WINS reports that the FNDY is "looking for more possible victims as it was reported there were other people living in the house." Two passers-by and a neighbor knocked down a door, but the flames were too great. They also tried to convince the home's residents to jump, but were unsuccessful. Anthony Deloid told WCBS 2, "They were screaming 'Lord please help me. Lord please help me.' It was him and a woman screaming. I told them to jump. They wouldn't jump. They had a chance to jump, but they wouldn't," while neighbor Kissoondial Bissoondial said, "I hear a lady was asking 'Help me. Help me.' So I kicked the door down. Me and another guy kicked the door down. We tell them to run out, that the door was open, but I didn't see anyone run out." more ›

A fire broke out in a 6-story Chinatown tenement at 22 James Street around 3:47 a.m. this morning. The fire apparently started on the 4th floor, but spread to the 3rd. CityRoom reports that a man was found dead inside and a woman who may have jumped from the building is critically injured; there are at least 20 others injured and the building's other residents, dozens of adults and children, are currently homeless. WCBS 2 says the fire department, which rescued some tenants from fire escapes, had a tough time fighting the blaze due to the high winds. more ›

A five-alarm fire consumed a home on Jewett Avenue on Staten Island early this morning. The Daily News reports two brothers were killed (they are believed to be in their 20s) and their mother cried, "My boys are gone. My boys are gone." Nine firefighters were also injured and a fire official described the fire as "hot, smoky, dangerous, confusing and blinding." Lt. John Eccleston also told the News, "It was the worst private dwelling fire I've seen in 25 years. We could see the glow from a half mile away." Other witnesses said it was a "fireball" and compared it to the movie "Backdraft... Flames were double the size of the house. It was like planes had dropped bombs on top of the houses." The FDNY considered the fire suspicious. more ›

During an early morning fire on East 93rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues yesterday, an elderly wheelchair-bound woman and her son died. The victims, 89-year-old Anna Roberts and 65-year-old retired postal worker William Roberts, were longtime residents in an rent-controlled unit; a neighbor, who escaped by going to the roof and climbing to another building's roof, told the Post, "I had a hard time getting out, so I could imagine they had a real hard time, because she was physically handicapped herself." Firefighters are still investigating what caused the third-floor apartment fire that quickly spread to the rest of the building. more ›