What to Know
- More than a dozen people were forced out of their Brooklyn apartment after a fire engulfed it early Tuesday
- Everybody got out safely, but residents were seen with no coats or shoes on while holding young children wrapped in blankets
- The cause of the fire, which broke out in Canarsie, is still not known
More than a dozen people ran out into the frigid, early-morning air, some without shoes or coats, after a fire engulfed their Brooklyn apartment, officials say.
The FDNY said everybody who fled the building on East 89th Street in Canarsie while the fire was raging got out safely, but the bone-chilling cold that has gripped New York City for days made the fire fight much more difficult.
The flames broke out around 3:30 Tuesday morning and neighbors who have lived in the area for decades said a large family with children lived inside where the fire started.
Thirteen people who lived there got out safely, officials said, but video from the scene shows several people without coats, shoes or socks on. Additionally, women were seen holding young children wrapped in blankets.
People living next door were also forced out of their home.
A fire chief told NBC 4 New York that firefighters were dealing with frozen hydrants and the water used to douse the flames quickly froze to the streets and sidewalk. Sanitation trucks were seen spreading salt on the icy streets.
Local
“We also had difficulty because we had a frozen hydrant that prevented us from getting water on the fire quickly,” Dep. Chief Stephen Moro said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
