106 Firefighters On Scene For Saturday Afternoon Blaze At 12th Street Buildings

A two-alarm fire gutted a residential building and spread to the residence next door on Saturday afternoon.

25 units were sent to put out the blaze at 236 12th Street (between 4th and 5th Avenues), according to the FDNY. The three-story residence housed a single family, according to neighbors who lived a few doors down.

The FDNY received the call at approximately 12:48pm. Officials say the blaze was extinguished at approximately 1:43pm, after 106 firefighters were sent to the scene.

In addition, the building next door at 234 12th Street sustained major damage, a three-story building which houses two families.

Two individuals sustained injuries during the fire. One civilian and one fire fighter were transported to nearby Methodist Hospital. According to the FDNY, the injuries to both victims were minor.

The block is no stranger to fires causing massive damage. A neighbor who lives at 232 12th Street — which is just next door to the burning residences — told us that his building was gutted by a fire roughly nine years ago. The residence was rebuilt with a brick facade which the neighbor told us makes the building safer in the event of a fire.

Traffic was clogged on 4th Avenue and the surrounding streets due to the significant presence of fire engines and other emergency vehicles. Concerned and curious onlookers lined 12th Street, including packs of Bernie Sanders supporters who were departing from the presidential candidate’s campaign office opening and block party at nearby 131 8th Street.

According to the FDNY, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.