Two firefighters on Staten Island suffered minor injuries while battling a house fire on Saturday night.
The Fire Department said he blaze ignited just after 7 p.m. on March 22 at a 2 1/2-story wood frame dwelling located at 7 Rosewood Place in Tompkinsville.
The first responding FDNY units, who arrived within four minutes of receiving the call, encountered a heavy volume of fire emanating primarily from the attic, according to Assistant Chief of Operations John Sarrocco.
According to sources familiar with the incident, one firefighter suffered injuries when part of the roof suddenly collapsed. Sarrocco noted that firefighters were pulled out of the building for fear of the structure’s stability.
“We were able to stretch hand lines into the building and prevent the fire from spreading to the left and then the building on the right,” the chief said. “Due to structural stability concerns, we had to pull out units out, and at that point, we set up our tower ladders and exterior operation to knock down the fire before we re-entered.”
The FDNY said the firefighter caught in the partial collapse and another colleague injured while battling the blaze were taken to local hospitals for treatment of minor injuries. More than 100 firefighters and EMS units responded to the incident.
Firefighters employed three hose lines and two tower ladders to bring the fire under control. The FDNY Marshals are now working to determine what started the fire.
