Fire knocks out electricity at Oliver Street co-op

August 27, 2012 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Shareholders of a Bay Ridge co-op lost power in the wake of a fire in an electrical panel on the building’s first floor on Aug. 23, authorities said.

The one-alarm fire took place at 61 Oliver St., a large co-op complex located between Marine Avenue and Shore Road. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes is a shareholder in the co-op.

The blaze, which started in an electrical wiring room located on the first floor of the building, was contained within that room and did not spread to other areas of the building, authorities said.

The Fire Department of New York received a 911 call at 11:49 a.m., according to a spokesman. The fire was brought under control in a matter of minutes.

Due to the large size of the building, which has 127 units, several fire companies and ambulance crews came to the scene in the event residents had to be evacuated. No evacuations were necessary, authorities said, and there were no reported injuries.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, small clusters of residents stood outside the building, talking to each other and to firefighters. The smell of burned wires was in the air.

One shareholder, Myles Davis, executive vice president of Lutheran Medical Center, was standing in the middle of the street outside the building’s main entrance, talking to a neighbor.

“We lost electricity. Right now, we’re waiting for Con Ed to come, as well as a private electrician, to restore the power,” he said.