Fire Trucks

Where are all the fire trucks going?

corner of st johns and underhill, bldg next to construction site. massive fire in top floor apt. doesn't look like anyone was in there. firefighters still knocking out windows.

I can smell it big time. We're on Underhill btwn Sterling & Park and it smells like it's right outside our door. There are loads of lights and sirens out there. I hope it was, indeed, empty.

I was there when all the guys went in. They had to rip out the gates on the fire-escape window, and I'm pretty sure there were no lights on. Also, an ambulance came and had a gurney out, but I think they just left without using it. So it definitely seems like there was nobody home. I do, however, really feel for the people who come home to that.. I would hope that as a neighborhood maybe we could do something to help them out? At the very least if they don't have insurance, they will be needing some basics.

Subject: Photos posted

on Flickr :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomische/sets/72157617449958310/

I was there too this afternoon, seems like the roof fell in...and there were ambulances speeding towards the hospital, so I think people did get hurt. Maybe smoke inhalation or something.

oh wow - i guess that happened before i walked up.. hope they're ok. i don't know if the roof fell in though, because firefighters were walking back and forth on it pretty freely as they were putting it out. Either way, it's really a terrible thing.

Do hope everyone was all right. At around 8 o'clock tonight, there were 2 small fires in front of 2 buildings on Prospect Place. One was at the corner of Underhill in a garbage can, the other was in front of a building on Prospect between Underhill and Vanderbilt. HOpe someone is not going around starting small fires.

cb wrote: Do hope everyone was all right. At around 8 o'clock tonight, there were 2 small fires in front of 2 buildings on Prospect Place. One was at the corner of Underhill in a garbage can, the other was in front of a building on Prospect between Underhill and Vanderbilt. HOpe someone is not going around starting small fires.

ah so that explains why i saw ashes on the street there as i passed by early this morning
hmm thats no good I hope this isn't a pattern either

My impression (and it's just an impression, I don't know definitively) was that the roof did not fall in. I was watching as they were putting the fire out and after the visible flames and smoke subsided the firemen were pulling sections of the roof out, I guess to expose any remaining embers. So when looking into the window you could see through to the sky from the roof which is why it might have seemed like the roof had fallen in if you walked up later.

In regards to the garbage can fires mentioned by cb I doubt that the apartment fire had a similar cause given that it was in a top floor apartment. Again, not saying I know how this fire was started, just seems like a reach to connect it t someone starting fires in garbage cans on the street a few blocks away.

i also saw two fire trucks stopped on carlton between bergen and st. marks last night around 7:15. was there something going on there too?

A fire truck is on Plaza Street East & Butler. Small fires were set in the berm and a pile of sticks next to a building on the corner of Plaza Street East and Butler Place was also set on fire. Not sure all fires mentioned here are related, but these two would seem to be.

So counting the three last night (1 in the bldg and two on pros. place) and the one this morning on classon and then the couple (2?) in the berm, that's 6 fires in less than 24 hours? Maybe they're not related, but that's crazy.

I walked to my building on Butler about 6:30pm. Didn't see anything out of sorts; nobody was lurking around the sidewalk. I back walked out 10 to 15 minutes later and noticed the fire truck. Then I noticed that someone had set a fire against the building. At first I thought that the firefighters were here for that fire, but then I noticed the smoke from the berm. I had to go over to them and point out the small brush fire on Butler.

I talked to the firefighters. They said that someone's been going around the neighborhood lighting small fires for the past three days. They definitely think that it's the same person.

I guess that all we can do is to keep an eye out. So far, these have been little nuisance fires, but it's probably only a matter of time before this person gets a little bolder (or maybe with the larger berm fire he/she/they already is/are.)

A few years ago there were lots of fires set along Pacific between Franklin and Washington. A few people died.

I remember they arrested one guy for the deadly fire, but don't know if he was charged for the rest of them....

whynot_31 wrote: A few years ago there were lots of fires set along Pacific between Franklin and Washington. A few people died.

I remember they arrested one guy for the deadly fire, but don't know if he was charged for the rest of them....

Wasn't this something to do with some mortgage fraud?

Arsonist strikes again.... around 10:15p at corner of Sterling and Butler. This time he ignited a construction dumpster.

A neighbor saw him leaving the scene - described as a young white kid, abt 16 years old. Grungy/punkish look. Skinny w blond dreadlocks. Be on the lookout.

Jesus! I wonder if the same guy is responsible for this: http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50298

BKChickie wrote: [quote=whynot_31]A few years ago there were lots of fires set along Pacific between Franklin and Washington. A few people died.

I remember they arrested one guy for the deadly fire, but don't know if he was charged for the rest of them....

Wasn't this something to do with some mortgage fraud?

there were several fires. Yes, I remember the the big fatal one was related to mortgage fraud. ....but I don't think anyone was ever charged in the others

whynot_31 wrote: [quote=BKChickie][quote=whynot_31]A few years ago there were lots of fires set along Pacific between Franklin and Washington. A few people died.

I remember they arrested one guy for the deadly fire, but don't know if he was charged for the rest of them....

Wasn't this something to do with some mortgage fraud?

there were several fires. Yes, I remember the the big fatal one was related to mortgage fraud. ....but I don't think anyone was ever charged in the others

Nobody was ever charged. THere was more to it than mortgage fraud. The fire were meant to burn out the existing tenants. If you get rid of low income renters you can replace them with new and improved renters, but if you lucky the building will have to be torn down and can be replaced with overpriced condos.

well the ones that are happening now have all been outdoors with the exception of the first.. so it seems like a different motive (to read about it on here maybe? i don't know, i watch too much law & order)..

about a half hour ago there was another set of a fire alarm, sirens and trucks but i couldn't tell where they were coming from.. maybe near sterling. did anyone see what happened?

For those who weren't around PH/CH in 2006, here's a refresher on the fires:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pacific+street+arson+brooklyn&aq=f&oq=

Back on topic, it seems joseph11 is right, the arrest I remember was for mortgage fraud, not arson

http://www.mortgagefraudblog.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/arson_investigation_reveals_mortgage_fraud/

http://www.brooklynda.org/press_releases/pr_jun_08.htm#03

Maybe I'm thinking about something else. I seem to remember that a couple was charged last year with arson in conjunction with some kind of fraud.

BKChickie wrote: Maybe I'm thinking about something else. I seem to remember that a couple was charged last year with arson in conjunction with some kind of fraud.

...me too. But I can't find it, and have actual work to do...

Here are all the Brooklyn arson stories since 2006 from NY-1:

http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=77335

http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=74943

http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=64754

I'm pretty sure that I am thinking of this instance:

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=438874&sid=0538e63dc115d3047d635e8053ca00da

right, but I don't know if ever became an arson charge.

...regardless, this fire was on the forth floor of an occupied building.

The other buildings seemed to be vacant (with the exception of the stairwell arson that resulted in fatalities).

...who ever it was seemed to really have a thing for burning things along Pacific St.

I thought the Hello development was a crazy location as a result.

I don't think that these recent fires and the Pacific Street fires are related. I don't even think that these recent fires and the building fire at St. Johns and Underhill are related. But, really, I have no idea--I'm just making an uneducated guess.

....ditto.

This is why I hope the arson people at FDNY know what they are doing.

I also presume this is why they have not offered me a job.