A 74-year-old woman was killed after flames consumed her home during a three-alarm Brooklyn fire on Saturday night, law enforcement sources said.
The Fire Department said the blaze ignited at about 11:18 p.m. on Feb. 26 inside the apartment building at 367 Tompkins Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The first-responding firefighters found heavy fire on the second floor that quickly extended to the third and fourth floors, and into the cockloft area just under the roof.
More than 175 firefighters were called into duty, using six hose lines to knock down the flames — even cutting holes into the roof to do so.
In the process of battling the fire, FDNY personnel found the victim on the third floor, unconscious and unresponsive. She was pulled from the building, but pronounced dead at the scene by EMS. Police have withheld her identity, pending family notification.
Fire Department sources said the building was heavily cluttered, complicating search-and-rescue efforts during the emergency. No other individuals were found within the location.
Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control at about 1:59 a.m. on Sunday morning, Feb. 27. The cause of the deadly blaze is now under investigation by FDNY marshals.
