BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
A fi ve-alarm fi re tore
through a pair of Dyker
Heights homes late Saturday
into early Sunday, injuring
a dozen fi rst responders, according
to authorities.
Fire offi cials say the blaze
broke out at 1330 74th St. at approximately
11:45 pm on Sept.
12. The blaze started out as a
two-alarm tempest but quickly
grew to a fi ve-alarm inferno,
spreading to the dwelling next
door.
FDNY Chief Kevin Woods
said more than 220 fi refi ghters
worked four hours into the
overnight battling the blaze, fi -
nally bringing it under control
at around 3:46 am on Sept. 13.
“Upon arrival we had heavy
fi re on three fl oors at 1330 74th
St. and that fi re extended to
1324 74th St.,” he told members
of the press following the fi re.
“There were six people in the
original fi re building and six
in the building to the right —
all of those occupants have
been accounted for at this
time.”
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Twelve fi refi ghters suffered
non-life threatening injuries,
but no civilian injuries
were reported, according
to Chief Woods, who said responding
units battled strong
winds, an aged structure and
overhead power lines that also
caught fi re.
“The fi re was on multiple
fl oors in both buildings, so we
needed the extra manpower,”
he said, adding that both Con
Edison and the Department of
Buildings were on the scene to
address power issues and assess
the stability of both buildings.
Online fundraisers have
been set up for at least three
displaced residents, like
Laura Gooner, who friends say
woke up in the middle of the
night to a fi re that destroyed
her home.
Gooner and her kittens
are now left to pick up the
pieces, wrote the fundraising
campaign’s organizer, Jenny
Ward.
“The funds I am trying to
raise is to help offset the initial
costs of getting back on her
feet in the coming weeks and
hopefully aid her further into
recovering from this tragedy.
Hotel, food, clothing, shoes,
toiletries, pet care needs, expenses
of relocating, etc.,”
Ward wrote. “Any amount
would be greatly appreciated
in this time of recovery and
rebuilding her life.”
The friend said Gooner is
“the fi rst person to be there for
anyone who needs her.”
“It is our time to step up
when she needs us,” she said.
One of Gooner’s felines, a
Siamese cat named Ophelia,
More than 200 fi refi ghters battled a fi ve-alarm fi re in Dyker Heights on
Saturday, Sept. 12 going into Sunday, Sept. 13. FDNY
was initially reported missing
from the blaze. She was
found safe and sound inside
the house hours later.
Another GoFundMe has
been created for residents Ed
and Marianne O’Grady, who
escaped the blaze with only
the clothes on their back. A
third GoFundMe is also soliciting
donations for Firefi ghter
Piotr Orlowski.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 16,
the three GoFundMe campagins
had collected more than
$100,000 for the families.
FDNY marshals are still
investigating the cause of the
blaze, but believe it was accidental.
Five-alarm inferno rips
through Dyker homes
$100k raised for victims, 12 fi refi ghters injured
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