From the FDNY Facebook Page:
“Tonight, three of our members are here in the hospital in very serious but stable condition. At 1:30 today, a call came in at a private residence for 88 Shotwell Avenue in Staten Island. Units were on scene in under four minutes and found heavy smoke and fire on arrival. They quickly went to work, 11 minutes in reports of a Firefighter down came through. 18 minutes into the job a signal was transmitted for a trapped member. Three members were pulled out in critical condition and 17 other Firefighters suffered minor injuries. I cannot emphasize enough that this was a very close call for the FDNY. We could have lost three members today. But thanks to the brave work of our members including those who went in and saved their fellow Firefighters, rescued the trapped members, brought them to EMS on scene who treated them immediately and brought them to this hospital who treated them right away. We are here to say that they are stable but critical and that they will be ok,” said Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, from Staten Island University Hospital where three FDNY members remain in serious but stable condition after battling a 4-alarm fire at 88 Shotwell Avenue in State Island.
Chief of Department John Hodgens said, “The fire started in between two buildings in the rear and quickly spread to both buildings. There was a heavy wind condition at the fire. So, as the Firefighters were inside searching for occupants the windows failed and the wind blew the fire intensely into the building right at the Firefighters. Two of the Firefighters became trapped by fire. One was able to make their way to a 2nd floor balcony and jump off down into the driveway. And one transmitted a mayday signal that he was in distress. Squad Company 8 arrived just as this happened and quickly went to work and made their way with the help of Engine 168 up to the 2nd floor and were able to rescue the Lieutenant from the fire. The nozzle man of Engine 168 was working very intensely to put the fire out understanding what the situation was. He became a little bit disoriented, he got hit in the head by falling plaster and it knocked his facepiece of his face and he inhaled some smoke.”