Fire Decimates Second House In Two Years At 519 East 5th Street [Updated]

A devastating fire ripped through a newly built two-story home at 519 East 5th Street on Friday night, two years after another fire destroyed the previous house at that same address.

No one was home during the fire, and there were no injuries, said the FDNY. [Update: The FDNY stated that the fire on August 26 ignited from a burning candle on the first floor.]

Eyewitnesses saw flames and smoke from across the street and called 911 at 7:30pm. Twelve units carrying sixty firefighters had the blaze under control just before 8pm, according to the FDNY. Afterwards, fire trucks sat bumper to bumper on East 5th Street between Avenue C and Cortelyou Road until 9pm, with ambulances spilling around the corner, waiting with empty stretchers.

At the scene, family and friends of the homeowner gathered near the police tape with their heads in their hands. One woman said, “I can’t believe this happened. We were coming here to celebrate [the Jewish holiday]  Shabbat. The homeowner is on her way here. She just lost her son, and now has lost her home too.”

The fire charred the entire first floor. Through the open front door, the house looked skeletal with black walls and furniture. Burnt out window frames hung limp from the first-floor brick facade, surrounded by shards of glass. A firefighter sat on a truck’s bumper, looking exhausted, covered in sweat and soot.

Neighbors gaped at the scene, huddled together on porches along the block. One person even climbed a nearby tree to peer over the row of trucks. But after the firetrucks drove away one by one, taking their blaring yellow and red lights, the street fell dark and quiet, only the acrid smell of smoke remained.

Neighbors said that they had seen multiple fires on that block within the last few years, which was often attributed to the old wood-frame houses with corroded wires. But according to Department of Buildings records, the house at 519 East 5th Street could be brand new — demolition permits were filed and approved after another fire charred the previous house two years ago.

This video shows another fire at the same address in the morning on January 2, 2014, with smoke billowing from the roof and flames illuminating an attic window. This fire sparked from electrical wiring in the attic, according to FDNY, and resulted in no injuries.