By Miguel Cruz Tejada
NEW YORK – Twenty-two firefighters, including three seriously injured, were injured fighting a fierce four-alarm blaze Friday afternoon at home at 84 and 88 Shotwell Avenue in the Annadale neighborhood of Staten Island County.
The local Staten Island Advance newspaper said the three seriously ill firefighters remain in critical condition at the hospital while the rest, 19, are in stable condition.
The Fire Department (FDNY) published an image on its Twitter account of the debris left by the incident in the house when a part of the structure, including the roof, collapsed.
The fire started in the rear of the two-story, semi-attached duplex at 1:30 p.m. and quickly spread to both units.
On Saturday, FDNY personnel and fire marshals inspected the charred structure.
The fiery fire produced thick black smoke that billowed into the sky and was visible for miles; the smell of ash was also perceptibly detectable in the area, the outlet added.
Although the firefighters arrived in record time, the flames had already engulfed a large part of the house from the rear.
FDNY Deputy Chief Brian Gorman told reporters that the fire remains under investigation.
“While the firefighters were inside, part of the rear,” Gorman explained.
A firefighter and a lieutenant on the second floor were rescued from the front window.
Three firefighters were taken to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze with serious injuries.
The other nineteen suffered minor injuries.
No civilians were injured.
The fire was brought under control at 2:46 p.m., the FDNY said.
One neighbor described the fire as hellish and said firefighters arrived in “two seconds.”
Members of the American Red Cross arrived at the scene to help the victims and residents.
The wail of fire truck sirens could be heard from all corners of Staten Island in the early afternoon as FDNY units from across the county rushed to the scene, the media described.
CAPTION
NEW YORK – Twenty-two firefighters, three of them seriously, were injured during a ferocious fire in Staten Island County on Friday afternoon. (FDNY Photos / External Source).
