Two people jumped from a sixth-floor apartment in a bid to save themselves from the smoke and flames that consumed a Brooklyn residential building on Monday, according to FDNY officials.
The fire ignited in the Rockaway Parkway apartment building near Winthrop St. in Brownsville around 2 p.m., sending more than 60 firefighters and paramedics rushing to the scene, FDNY Department Chief Jim Carney told reporters at the scene.
Four people were rushed to the Hospital after some or all of them jumped from a sixth floor window to the sidewalk below after a fire broke out inside their apartment at 165 Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn on Monday August 14, 2023. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)
Rescuers arrived to find two occupants of the burning unit had braved the more than 50-foot plunge from the apartment’s sixth-floor window to the street moments before they arrived, and paramedics immediately began treating both victims. They were rushed to area hospitals in critical condition, Carney said.
Smoke-eaters managed to keep the fire contained to the apartment where it ignited and paramedics treated two other occupants, including one who was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, according to the chief.
The fourth survivor did not require additional treatment, Carney said.
A fence is pictured broken after a fire in an apartment building on Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn on Monday. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)
He noted that firefighters arrived on the scene five minutes after the initial 911 call was processed, and stated that the two jumpers may have escaped the blaze with milder injuries if they had waited for rescue.
“They took it into their own hands,” said Carney. “It would have been better probably if they did not do that, but … they got out.”
Four people were rushed to the Hospital after some or all of them jumped from a sixth floor window to the sidewalk below after a fire broke out inside their apartment at 165 Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn on Monday August 14, 2023. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)
The intensity of Monday’s fire raised suspicions among firefighters, according to Carney, though details were not immediately provided.
The fire marshal will investigate and determine the cause of the blaze, Carney said.
NEW YORK — A crane went up in flames Wednesday morning high above Manhattan, then partially collapsed onto the street below.
The fire broke out shortly before 7:30 a.m. 45 stories up in the air at a building that was under construction on 10th Avenue between West 41st and 42nd streets in Hell’s Kitchen.
Watch: Video shows moment crane came crashing down
Social media video captured the dramatic scene when the crane’s boom came down, smashing into a building across the street.
Twelve people were hurt, including three firefighters. All of the injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
The Department of Buildings said Wednesday afternoon that, following a preliminary inspection, the crane, building under construction and neighboring building that was struck are all structurally stable and not in danger of collapse.
The FDNY said the five-alarm fire started in the engine compartment as workers were lifting a load of concrete to the 36th floor. The crane operator tried to put it out with hand extinguishers, but it became too overwhelming, and he had to exit the crane.
The FDNY got the call around 7:25 a.m. and as firefighters responded, the partial collapse happened, and the building strike.
Mayor Eric Adams provided an update on the scene, along with the FDNY and Department of Buildings, saying the situation could have been a lot worse, especially considering the high-traffic area.
“We are extremely fortunate that we were not during the busy time of day,” Adams said. “As you know, Port Authority is here, many of the buses move through here.”
First Deputy Commissioner Joseph W. Pfeifer said the crane was lifting 16 tons of concrete when the fire started.
“There’s a beam that goes out, and that’s carrying the weight of concrete. And that weight of 16 tons is attached by a cable. As the fire heats the cable, the cable weakens to a point where it loses its strength, and that’s when the collapse occurred,” he explained.
Watch: Expert on fighting rooftop construction fire
Pfeifer credited the crane operator for spotting the fire and trying to put it out.
“That crane operator saw that the fire started and tried to extinguish it. So we give a lot of credit to the crane operator. But the fire overwhelmed that operator and had to exit the crane,” he said. “The crane operator was able to get out and is safe.”
FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan. Please avoid the area of 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from West 41 Street to West 42 Street. Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area. pic.twitter.com/lEc03WwnWd
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 26, 2023
As they closed off the streets, firefighters had the difficult task of fighting the fire high above.
“The difficulty when you have a fire so high up is to be able to supply water to the building and stretch hose lines from inside the building and across the street,” Pfeifer said.
The site of the fire, 550 10th Ave., is currently under construction. It’s a mixed-use residential building around 47 stories high.
“We will look at the structural integrity of the building that was hit, the structural integrity of the building worked on,” said Department of Buildings Commissioner James Oddo.
ADVISORY: In regard to the crane collapse in Manhattan this morning, the following streets are currently closed.
10 Avenue – CLOSED between West 39 Street- West 42 Street
The DOB says an independent assessment will be conducted to figure out what happened. They have issued a stop work order at the tower project.
More than 200 fire and EMS personnel assisted.
The fire went to five alarms as they searched and evacuated nearby buildings.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area. Tenth Avenue is closed from 39th-42nd streets. West 30th Street is closed in both directions between Dyre and Galvin Avenues.
NEW YORK — A crane went up in flames Wednesday morning high above Manhattan, then partially collapsed onto the street below.
The fire broke out shortly before 7:30 a.m. on top of a 50-story building that was under construction on 10th Avenue between West 41st and 42nd streets.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area for the morning commute, as several roads are closed. Residents are also advised to shut their windows.
The FDNY says the crane’s arm caught fire and collapsed, sending debris falling onto the ground below.
Social media video shows the dramatic scene when the crane arm came down, crashing into a building across the street.
Four people were hurt, including one firefighter. All of the injuries are described as non-life-threatening.
FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan. Please avoid the area of 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from West 41 Street to West 42 Street. Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area. pic.twitter.com/lEc03WwnWd
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 26, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams and FDNY officials are on the scene and expected to provide an update.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Watch the latest developments streaming live on CBS News New York in the player above and on our app.
Dozens of people were injured in a crash involving a double-decker tour bus and a city bus in Manhattan Thursday evening, officials said.
There was a tangled mess of metal and glass when a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus and a TopView Sightseeing double-decker bus collided just after 7:15 p.m. Eastern time in the Kips Bay neighborhood.
New York City Fire Department officials said 27 people were hospitalized, including the tour bus driver, and about 50 others were examined at the scene. Injuries included fractures, cuts and bruises, the fire department said. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.
“We’re all quite fortunate it was not much worse,” FDNY Deputy Chief Paul Hopper said.
Crews had to use “ladders and ropes” to extricate some of the passengers from the buses, FDNY Deputy Chief Kevin Murphy added.
“The impact felt like it was almost an earthquake,” Ishrak Jahan, who was on the city bus, told CBS New York. “The whole bus was rattling and shaking. I heard the lady next to me scream, so I looked up and I saw this bus barreling towards us…I just saw glass everywhere for a second. It was honestly like I was in a movie. And it took a couple of seconds to snap back into reality when everyone started screaming. I saw blood.”
FNDY officials said they were unsure on the circumstances which led up to the collision. However, New York City Transit President Richard Davey blamed the crash on the tour bus.
“This tour bus behind us seemed to have blown a red light and T-boned our bus,” Davey told reporters. “Hit it actually twice, it was going so fast, we think.”
Pillan, who was on the tour bus with his family, told CBS New York that “a lot of people” were “thrown out of their seats. Injured, a lot of injuries. A lot of old people injured.”
Some passengers, like Paulina Rychel, were hit by a wave of glass.
“I heard the boom and then I felt it,” Rychel said.
Firefighters had a challenge taking people off the second deck of the tour bus and going through windows to take people out.
Dick Brennan joined CBS2 in 2012 as an anchor and reporter. In addition, he anchors on our digital channel CBS News New York, which is also seen on the News at Nine on our sister station WLNY-TV.
A father who drowned last week while trying to rescue his child from a rip current at the Jersey Shore was a New York City firefighter whose career in public service dated back 15 years, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The man, 39-year-old Mark Batista, died at the New Jersey beach town Avon-by-the-Sea on Friday morning while he off duty after jumping into the ocean to save his teenage daughter, who was caught in a rip current at the time, CBS New York reported, citing police. A rip current is essentially channel of moving water, somewhat like a river, that forms in the ocean and flows away from the shoreline and out to sea.
Authorities originally identified Batista as a resident of Teaneck, but they did not release his name. The New York City Fire Department later confirmed his identity in a statement obtained by CBS News on Sunday, which noted that he had served as both an EMT and a firefighter for the department over the course of 15 years. Batista worked at Engine Company 226 in Brooklyn, according to CBS New York.
“We are heartbroken to learn about the death of Firefighter Mark Batista, who died Friday while swimming at the Jersey Shore,” the FDNY said in the statement. “Firefighter Batista was a dedicated public servant who spent fifteen years serving in the FDNY, as both an EMT and a firefighter. We join his family in mourning his tragic passing.”
FDNY Firefighter Mark Batista drowned in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, on June 9, 2023, while trying to save his daughter, who was caught in a rip current.
FDNY
Police and a water rescue team used jet skis to search for Batista and his daughter at the beach on Friday, after witnesses on land observed and reported the apparent drowning, CBS New York reported. Batista was found and then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The teenager survived and was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center after her rescue.
There were reportedly no lifeguards on duty at the Avon-by-the-Sea beach where Batista drowned on Friday. Regular weekday lifeguard shifts will begin this coming weekend, according to the city’s website.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
An elderly father and son were seriously injured amid their own clutter as an inferno consumed their SoHo apartment late Monday night.
More than 100 firefighters rushed to save a 95-year-old man and his 70-year-old son after the fire erupted inside their fourth-floor apartment on Sullivan St. between Prince and Spring streets at 8:47 pm.
But the effort was stymied by narrow hallways filled with clutter, and the men were hauled unresponsive from the blaze, according to Deputy FDNY Chief Michael Barvels.
“There was an apartment with very tight hallways, which were full of clutter that delayed our access to the apartment,” he said.
Medics remove a victim from a two alarm fire at 104 Sullivan Street in Manhattan, New York City on Monday, May 29, 2023. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)
“It was a Collyers’ Mansion situation,” said the firefighter, who declined to give his name.
Breaking News
As it happens
Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts.
Paramedics treated the father-son pair at the scene before rushing them to the hospital in critical condition, according to the Fire Department.
The pair had lived in the building for over 50 years, with the father working as the building’s super in the 1960s, according to neighbor Michael McDerman.
The son was a veteran and both men enjoyed controlled rents, McDerman said.
Medics remove an injured firefighter during a two alarm fire at 104 Sullivan Street in Manhattan, New York City on Monday, May 29, 2023. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)
Another neighbor said he spotted medics giving the elderly victims CPR outside the building, adding that both men appeared appeared gravely injured.
“They didn’t look good, I can tell you that,” said Korey Benesh, 26, who lives on the same floor as the injured elders.
Despite the mess, smoke-eaters managed to quell the blaze and officials sounded the all-clear shortly before 11 p.m., the FDNY said.
Firefighters respond to a two alarm fire at 104 Sullivan Street in Manhattan, New York City on Monday, May 29, 2023. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)
One other resident and three fire fighters suffered minor injuries amidst the fire, according to Barvels.
A “smoking laptop” which was reported by the crew of a JetBlue flight after it had landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday night prompted a massive evacuation of the plane, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News in a statement that the crew of JetBlue Flight No. 662 from Barbados “reported a smoking laptop in the cabin after landing.” The fire was reported just after 9 p.m. local time, according to FDNY.
Port Authority personnel evacuated 167 people from the plane using emergency slides, FDNY said, adding that five people were treated for minor injuries.
A man who was seated in the first row told CBS New York that the plane’s captain jumped into action when the fire was discovered.
“The captain came flying out of the cabin,” Sean Weed told CBS New York. “He grabbed a fire extinguisher, and was doing like an O. J. Simpson over the seats and passengers. The guy was amazing, and put the fire out. It was a complete zoo.”
The exact cause and circumstances of the fire were unclear.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
MORRIS HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) — Two people, a 20-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man, have died from injuries suffered in an early Thanksgiving morning fire in the Bronx.
Two other women remain in critical condition at area hospitals.
The fire broke out in a second floor apartment on Harrison Avenue in Morris Heights at around 5:30 a.m.
Neighbors said thick black smoke poured out of the apartment before the sound of screams.
“She’s saying, ‘My mother, my sister and my father’s in there,’ I started kicking the door down, opened up and black smoke came out,” neighbor Miguel Jiminez said.
The victims were later identified by police as 20-year-old Odalys Aramboles and her father, 60-year-old Perfecto Aramboles.
His wife, Lorenza Suarez, and her daughter, 42-year-old Rosana Suarez, were identified as the women still in critical condition.
“Very little we can say but to be there for them, to let them know that we have their back, some of the neighbors are putting together a GoFundMe for the family,” said NYC Councilmember Piepieriana Sanchez.
The blaze is being investigated as a possible electrical fire. There is discussion it started in a hallway closet next to the kitchen, but the investigation continues.
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
SUNNYSIDE, Queens (WABC) — A huge fire broke out overnight at a Queens bike shop, and fire officials say e-bikes could have been to blame.
The Fly Wing Bike Shop in Sunnyside, now heavily damaged, was empty when flames shot out of the window just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
That fire destroyed as many as 60 e-bikes which are now a pile of charred metal outside of the shop.
The fire chief says e-bikes likely played a big role in this fire and the bikes are causing some serious issues in getting the fires across the city under control.
“E-bike fires are becoming more prevalent in the city,” said FDNY Battalion Chief Justin Zorbo. “And they are difficult to extinguish. And require numerous hazmat resources.”
The fire chief says the fire started on the first floor and extended to the second floor.
The store was closed when the fire started, which presented a real challenge for firefighters due to the number of e-bikes.
“We had a large number of e-bikes, and gasoline bikes approximately 30 were in the rear and the same number inside the store,” Zorbo said. “We used all hands-on assignment on arrival with an additional engine and additional truck, we had a three-line stretch to an operation.”
One firefighter suffered a minor injury. The fire still remains under investigation.
A federal jury finds City of New York recklessly failed to pay FDNY EMTs and paramedics pre-shift and post-shift overtime pay
Press Release –
updated: Oct 28, 2019
NEW YORK, October 28, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– A federal jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the plaintiffs, 2,519 EMTs and Paramedics employed by the City of New York, in an action brought pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Following the close of evidence, the jury unanimously found that the City suffered or permitted EMTs and Paramedics to work before and after their shifts without paying them and that the City’s failure to do so was done in reckless disregard of the law. Oren Barzilay, the President of AFSCME Local 2507, Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors, remarked: “After deliberating for less than two hours, the jury returned a verdict telling the City it must pay its first responders for the work they perform before and after their scheduled shifts – all of which is captured in CityTime. The jury did justice.”
The law firm of McGillivary Steele Elkin LLP represented the plaintiffs in a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before the Honorable Judge Vernon S. Broderick. The plaintiffs demonstrated through the testimony of numerous EMTs and Paramedics, and FDNY Supervisors, that they began working at the EMS stations up to 15 minutes prior to the start of their shifts when they, among other things, prepared their medical and protective equipment to ensure that they were ready and able to put their ambulances in service as quickly as possible. The jury further found that the plaintiffs worked after the end of their shift, for up to 15 minutes, exchanging vital medical equipment and information with the next tour of EMTs and Paramedics and safely storing any other personal medical or protective equipment they had used during their shift.
In addition, the jury found that because the EMTs and Paramedics performed these activities while scanned into the City’s electronic timekeeping system, CityTime, the backpay damages could be computed directly from the number of minutes that the City had recorded, but not paid.
Finally, the jury further found that in failing to pay the EMTs and Paramedics for this work, the City of New York willfully violated the law, entitling the EMTs and Paramedics to full recovery under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Following the verdict, Molly Elkin, the plaintiffs’ lead trial counsel, said: “Unlike the City, the jury had the backs of the FDNY EMTs and Paramedics. The EMTs and Paramedics answer thousands of calls every day, risking their lives. They should not be working for free.” Although the precise amount owed will be determined at a later date, the backpay alone for the work performed by the plaintiff EMTs and Paramedics will be in the millions.
Chaz Perry, et al. v. City of New York and New York Fire Department, Case No. 1:13-cv-01015 (SDNY)
:quality(70):focal(2510x1097:2520x1107)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/O67KYJEZNFGGVEXXLAKB5BBAXA.JPG)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/DG2JSH6BC5FJDG7OWH2PY7QRQA.JPG)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/A2MMX7QNR5H7PMSOETX4QJTYKI.JPG)
:quality(70):focal(1905x839:1915x849)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/LERFWK7U25AFXD4O4DJDIU2OBE.JPG)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/J5QQJUESAREMBGTJZ4NBDQ2PCE.JPG)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/CMIJ2DJCFVCHHDAGBP77YFFIFA.JPG)
