The FDNY’s marshals are still looking into what sparked a three-alarm inferno in Brooklyn early Tuesday night that burned fallen tree limbs and other debris left behind during Tropical Storm Isaias in August.
Firefighters were called at about 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 to Calvert Vaux Park along Shore Parkway between Bay Parkway and Cropsey Avenue in Gravesend, where flames could be seen for miles along with a plume of smoke. The area was described by one firefighter as “larger than a football field.”
The park is being used as a temporary storage site for wooden debris related to Isaias, which blew through New York City back on Aug. 4. Southwestern Brooklyn was one of the hardest hit areas, as neighborhoods saw numerous trees and telephone poles knocked down due to the high winds.
FDNY Deputy Chief Phil Solimeo said the blaze was far from any nearby hydrant, forcing firefighters to run nearly a half-mile of hose lines from the nearest spout on Shore Parkway.
By the time smoke-eaters began pouring water on the inferno, the flames leapt into the air, clearly visible from the Belt Parkway and the Verrazano Bridge. Pungent smoke wafted through the areas of Coney Island and Brighton Beach.
More than 150 firefighters surrounded the fire, with the help of tower ladders spraying from above. It took firefighters five hours to bring the blaze under control, but firefighters stayed throughout the night to make sure sparks didn’t rekindle. The nearby sports facility was not damaged by the fire.
No injuries were reported, but traffic along Shore Parkway was snarled for blocks and fire trucks and emergency vehicles poured into the area.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but officials have deemed the blaze suspicious.
