Elizabeth Keogh – New York Daily News
(TNS)
A woman squatting in an abandoned Brooklyn house died Tuesday when the troubled building erupted in flames — the fifth fire to engulf the property in just two years, the FDNY said.
The blaze broke out just before 8:05 a.m. on the second floor of the two-story house on 67th St. near 12th Ave. in Dyker Heights, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms said at a news conference.
Firefighters rushed to the scene in under 4 minutes, but their efforts to douse the flames were hindered by cinder blocks sealing off windows and doors. The blockages, which made it difficult to access the interior, were the result of numerous previous fires at the house over the last two years, according to Simms.
As they fought the flames, firefighters discovered the woman, believed to be in her 40s, dead in an alleyway behind the building.
“She had built a shanty in between the basement entrance where she was squatting illegally,” Simms said. “There was an entryway knocked in the cinder block so she could make entry to the building.”
Nearly 140 members of the FDNY responded to the blaze, which was brought under control by 10:10 a.m., officials said. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries knocking down the flames.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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