- An apartment fire in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge during the early hours of Feb. 9, which claimed one life, has prompted firefighters to speak out about parked cars limiting their ability to address a blaze
- Fire officials said that parked cars blocked hydrants, hindering firefighting efforts
- In an email to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Feb. 11, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed the deceased as Gregory Fernandez, 38, adding that a 34-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy were taken to the hospital in stable condition
New York City’s fire commissioner is calling on drivers to move their parked cars in front of fire hydrants after a blaze in a Brooklyn neighborhood last weekend claimed the life of one person and sent two other people to the hospital.
“I’m begging New Yorkers in all five boroughs: Please do not leave your cars on hydrants,” New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said at a press briefing on Sunday, Feb. 9. “Cars parked on hydrants are part of the reason we have the outcome that we have here today — this is a fatal fire, and there’s no doubt that the cars that were parked on the hydrants have slowed down our members from engaging in firefighting tactics.”
Fire officials said they responded on the morning of Feb. 9 to a multiple-dwelling fire in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. When they arrived, units discovered fire coming out of a window from the building’s third floor.
Upon entry, firefighters found two civilians inside the doorway, said officials. Overall, three people were taken to local hospitals where one of them was pronounced dead.
In an email to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Feb. 11, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed the deceased as Gregory Fernandez, 38. The spokesperson added that a 34-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy were taken to the hospital in stable condition. The cause of Fernandez’s death will be determined by the medical examiner’s office.
Authorities noted that an investigation is ongoing. Although they did not share additional details about the other victims, family members on Facebook identified them as Fernandez’s wife and child.
In a post on Facebook, Darlene and Jason Fernandez, who referred to the victim as their nephew, wrote, “RIP Gregory Nelson Fernandez. I’m still in shock, numb and in denial. I can’t believe [you’re] gone. You will be missed nephew. Until we meet again. 😔🙏💔Please keep his wife and 2-year-old in your prayers. They are still in the hospital in a coma. There was a fire in their apartment building in Brooklyn, NY.”
Diksha Bagade was able to escape the building with her roommate, telling ABC affiliate WABC: “The smoke was literally coming from underneath the floor, and then we were both like ‘we have to get out.”
Fernandez lived with his wife and children in the apartment, the New York Daily News reported. Neighbors said Fernandez was a Navy veteran who worked for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
John O’Keefe, a neighbor, said that Fernandez was excited about his upcoming promotion and that the family was planning to buy a home.
“He was going to be in charge of the (VHA) East Coast of prosthetics, in the prosthetics department. He was going to have a big job coming up,” O’Keefe told the Daily News.
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In a Feb. 9 post on X, the New York City Fire Department shared a photo of two cars that it said blocked the closest fire hydrants as firefighters responded to the Feb. 9 morning blaze.
“Keeping fire hydrants unobstructed helps firefighters respond quickly,” the department wrote, adding that New Yorkers should call 911 if they see a blocked or improperly opened hydrant.
At the press briefing, Tucker emphasized how “seconds count” in this type of emergency response.
Gregory Fernandez Sr., the victim’s father, described what happened as “horrible.”
“That’s like a crime,” he said, per the Daily News. ”People are dying because the fire department can’t assist because you park your car in front of a hydrant. That should be a criminal offense in my eyes. People die over that.”
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