A two-year-old child was injured when a fire broke out on the third floor of a Flatbush building Friday morning — less than 24 hours after a blaze tore through another building half a mile away.
Firefighters arrived at the three-story Caton Avenue building between Flatbush and Bedford avenues just after 9 a.m. on May 1, where they found heavy smoke and flames billowing out of the windows of a third-floor apartment.
Residents of the building fled to the top floor fire escape as firefighters battled the blaze, which was declared under control by 10:15 am.
Firefighters found a two-year-old child and another civilian injured in the blaze, both of whom were treated on the scene. A firefighter suffered minor injuries and was transported to Kings County Hospital for examination, fire officials said.
The incident came one day after a blaze erupted in a three-story apartment building on E. 19th Street and Church Avenue, injuring one person and leaving six others homeless, according to officials.
The victim suffered a minor head injury and refused medical attention, authorities said. The injury was not considered life-threatening.
The blaze broke out just after 2 pm inside the brick building, which houses a grocery store on the ground floor. When firefighters arrived, they found the dense smoke and flames raging on second floor and spreading to the third floor.
Several residents had fled to the roof where firefighters had them stay for the duration of the fire. One resident, who sat on the ground just across from the fire, said his rear bedroom suddenly burst into flames and he couldn’t explain it.
“I was in the apartment with my roommate when suddenly there was a fire in the back room – I wonder if someone did something or tried to break in from the fire escape,” he said.
The flames ripped through the third floor and burned the wall of a neighboring building. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in 40 minutes, but by then, two apartments were heavily damaged. No firefighters were injured.
The cause of the fires are not immediately known and are under investigation by fire marshals.
Additional reporting by Rose Adams
