Friday, March 29

Firefighter and civilian dead, 8 others injured in Brooklyn blaze


CANARSIE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A firefighter and a civilian and eight other firefighters were injured battling a three-alarm fire that broke out in a building in Brooklyn Sunday afternoon, according to officials.

The injured firefighters were not expected to die, Mayor EricAdams said. One person was unaccounted for in the aftermath of the blaze, but the individual’s body was later recovered. That person has not yet been identified.

Timothy Klein, 31, had been with the FDNY for more than six years before his death Sunday, officials said. Klein’s family has a history of service in the FDNY. His father is a retired FDNY firefighter.

“He lost his life doing the job we asked of him every day – bravely fighting to save others from fire,” Adams said. “We pray for his family and his fellow firefighters during this terribly painful time.”

Klein was inside the burning home when everyone inside was ordered out, an FDNY official said. Before all the firefighters could make it out, there was a partial roof collapse. Four members were caught, including Klein. His loss will always be remembered, Andrew Ansbro, president of the union representing firefighters, said.

“The tragic loss of firefighter Klein brings sorrow to the City of New York, its eight million residents, and every member of the FDNY family,” Ansbro said. “Firefighter Klein is a hero to this city, this country, and his fellow firefighters, and will be eternally remembered for making the ultimate sacrifice so that others may live.  There are no words that aptly describe the loss of a fellow firefighter in your company and this department, and the Klein family is now living the worst nightmare of every person who has ever sworn the sacred oath to the FDNY.”

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First responders rushed to the Avenue N scene near 108th Street after reports of the blaze shortly before 2 p.m.. Neighbors said it seemed like the firefighters couldn’t get the hydrants to work. One saw a firefighter come out on a stretcher.

The side of the home was falling off and the inside of the home was gutted. Images from the scene showed smoke billowing into the sky over Brooklyn. Officials have not yet said what caused Sunday’s fire.

Klein was the second line-of-duty death at that firehouse in recent years. Steven Pollard, a member of the same FDNY company, died in 2019. Klein delivered the eulogy at Pollard’s funeral.

Mayor Adams visited the scene of the fire and got a preliminary briefing on site from the FDNY, a spokesperson said. He headed to the hospital for a full briefing on the blaze.

The last FDNY firefighter to die in the line of duty lost his life in February of this year. Jesse Gerhard died fighting a fire in Queens.

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