Borough Park

Three-alarm fire spreads to 3 buildings in Borough Park, Brooklyn, on Friday

140 firefighters and EMTs respond; 6 injuries

April 29, 2017 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Roughly 140 firefighters and EMTs responded to 2062 61st St. in Borough Park on Friday after a three alarm fire broke out. Photo courtesy of FDNY
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A three-alarm fire thought to be fed by 150 cases of “Spare Fuel” for autos broke out in a garage in the Mapleton section of Borough Park on Friday afternoon and quickly spread to two adjacent residential buildings.

Roughly 140 firefighters and EMTs responded to the blaze, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Gala, the Manhattan Borough Commander, said in an audio statement Friday evening.

Gala said that the fire erupted at of 2062 61st Street just before 3 p.m. and emergency units were on the scene within three minutes. It took two hours to bring the fire under control.

“We had a heavy fire condition in the buildings and two garages that was fully involved,” he said.

There were six minor injuries reported: five fire fighters with sprains and strains who were being evaluated Friday evening and one civilian worker with minor burns, who was transported to the Staten Island North Burn Center.

Fire marshals were on the scene Friday evening conducting an investigation, Gala said. But it appears that a gasoline derivative known as Spare Fuel played a role.

“What is known at this point is that we had 150 cases of six half gallon [plastic] containers of what’s called Spare Fuel, or an alternate fuel that you could use if your car runs out of gas. It’s a combustible material and that contributed to the fire,” Gala said.

He added, “At the height of the fire we needed two foam lines to extinguish the flammable liquid that was burning in the back, flowing down into the driveway.

“It looks like the worker was transferring the material from one container to another when the fire started. But the investigation continues,” he cautioned. “And we’re going to determine why the fuel was there and what they were doing with the fuel.”

Gala said FDNY does not believe the injured worker lives in the building.

FDNY initially had reports of people trapped in the building, he said, but “thankfully, that proved to be unfounded.”

On its website, Spare Fuel claims is non-flammable.

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