NEW YORK CITY (WABC) Two underground Con Edison service boxes caught fire overnight Monday, leaving 53 customers in two buildings in Brooklyn without power.
The fires on Bedford Avenue in Midwood, which broke out around 2:30 a.m., were among several reported across New York City and which firefighters scrambled to extinguish.
Video from the Citizen App showed firefighters putting water on one of the fires, which failed to bring the blaze under control.
The fire was advanced and ended up extending to the third floor, top floor and roof.
Officials say firefighters had to leave the building because of the fire conditions.
They say firefighters then attacked the fire from outside of the building.
Eventually the blaze extended to two adjacent buildings on 222 and 246 Montrose Ave.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The fire placed under control late Thursday night.
About 200 firefighters and EMS were on the scene.
It s also under investigation whether squatters were inside that building. It seems to us that the building was under renovation, FDNY Assistant Chief Jospeh Jardin said. We had a firefighter initially upon entry fall through the floor. That s how we discovered it was compromised due to the renovation from a structural integrity perspective.
That firefighter was able to pull himself out of that hole uninjured.
The blaze then moved up to the third floor through the windows. There was a pretty significant collapse of the cornice, Jardin said. The front part of the roof building you may see it not there anymore and came down.
It s also under investigation whether squatters were inside that building. It seems to us that the building was under renovation, FDNY Assistant Chief Jospeh Jardin said. We had a firefighter initially upon entry fall through the floor. That s how we discovered it was compromised due to the renovation from a structural integrity perspective.
That firefighter was able to pull himself out of that hole uninjured.
The blaze then moved up to the third floor through the windows. There was a pretty significant collapse of the cornice, Jardin said. The front part of the roof building you may see it not there anymore and came down.