Brooklyn, NY – Five Hurt in Residential Fire on 4th Ave

Brooklyn, NY (February 1, 2024) – Five individuals suffered injuries in a building fire in Sunset Park, Brooklyn on February 1. At approximately 10:00 a.m., the incident was reported to officials in the area who promptly responded to the scene. Fire officials were seen rendering aid at the residential fire on 4th Avenue near 30th Street. Five people were transported to NYU Langone Hospital, according to information provided by fire crews. At this time, the conditions of the victims and the cause of the fire are still under investigation by local authorities. 

We hope for the full recovery of the injured victims. 

New York Structure Fires

In 2022, over 500,000 structure fires were reported throughout the United States. Approximately 2,700 people lost their lives in these fires while over 10,000 sustained injuries and more than 10 billion dollars in property damage was reported. The National Fire Protection Association reports that a residential fire happens in the US about once every 20 seconds and a home structure fire occurs approximately once every 88 seconds.

Considering that about 80% of fatalities related to American fires happen in residential structures, it is obvious that preventing residential fires is a large public safety problem. The main cause of fatal residential fires is the improper disposal of tobacco products, while cooking appliances, such as grills and stoves, are main cause of burn injuries.

Smoke inhalation is the man reason fatalities occur in residential fires, not burn injuries as one may think. Those who survive, however, usually endure a significant amount of both. These injuries are extremely painful and costly to recover from.

Most burn injuries fall under one of three categories: 

• 1st-degree burns: 1st-degree burns affect only the top layer of skin (epidermis) such as you get from accidentally touching a hot surface or getting sun burn. Burns like this generally heal within a few days.
• 2nd-degree burns: These burns reach the second layer of skin (dermis.) More severe than a 1st-degree burn, they may require skin grafts and cause permanent scars.
• 3rd-degree burns: Burns of this magnitude ravage the third layer (hypodermis) causing the loss of not just the skin but also the hair follicles, sweat glands, and the stratum basale where new skin cells are formed.

Along with determining how the fire occurred, it is vital to figure out whether the action or inaction of another individual or entity played a role in either the cause of the fire itself or a resident’s inability to flee the residence to safety. 

Some of the main causes of house fires in New Jersey include:  

• Defective appliances
• Obsolete or worn electrics
• Broken or incorrectly installed gas lines
• Obstructed chimney flues
• Faulty or broken furnaces or boilers

If you have recently been hurt in a structure fire that you believe was caused by the negligent actions of another person or party, contact our structure fire attorneys in Brooklyn at (800) 469-6476 to see how we can help you.

If investigators are able to determine that an outside party was in fact negligent, an injured victim would have a valid claim against the liable party.