BY BEN VERDE
A harrowing four-alarm
fi re destroyed a Brooklyn
Heights brownstone and left
fi refi ghters briefl y trapped
Friday morning.
Fire offi cials say the blaze
broke out just after 6 am in the
rear of 132 Montague St. near
Henry Street. Firefi ghters received
a call at 6:08 am and
were on the scene within fi ve
minutes, according to Chief of
Operation John Hodgens.
Hodgens said smoke eaters
quickly found fi re on the
second, third, fourth, and
fi fth fl oors of the building and
worked to extinguish it over
the course of two hours.
A group of fi refi ghters became
briefl y trapped within
the building but were quickly
removed, according to the department.
COURIER L 4 IFE, DECEMBER 17-23, 2021
Four fi refi ghters
were injured, including one
who suffered a neck injury. No
civilians were injured, but one
resident of the building was
displaced from their home.
“It’s extremely diffi cult,
it’s a very emotional and
nerve-wracking situation,”
said Hodgens. “But we’re
Firefi ghters battle a four-alarm blaze on Montague Street in Brooklyn
Heights Friday morning, Dec. 10. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
trained to do it.”
The building is situated
within the Montague Street
commercial corridor and has
a cafe and an eyewear shop on
its lower levels.
“It’s a tough time for a fi re
like this, we have a lot of businesses
on the block,” said Hodgens.
“We wish everybody
well, but thank God there were
no injuries to civilians.”
Additional reporting by
Lloyd Mitchell
Firefi ghters briefl y
trapped after battling
massive Brooklyn
Heights blaze