Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro Urges New Yorkers to Close the Door When Escaping a Fire

Two Fires with Open Doors in Twenty-Four Hours Injured Twenty-Seven People

The FDNY Foundation joins the FDNY and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro in urging all New Yorkers to close the door when escaping a fire; following two serious fires in Brooklyn and Manhattan in the last 24 hours that have injured 27 people.

“If you are escaping a fire in your home or apartment, I strongly urge all New Yorkers to ‘Close the door’ to reduce the spread of fire,” said Commissioner Nigro. “Leaving a door open allows the fire to grow rapidly, spread throughout the building, and puts the lives of building occupants and responding Firefighters in grave danger.”

DETAILS OF TWO SERIOUS FIRES IN LAST 24-HOURS:
At 1:54 a.m. today, FDNY was called to 515 East 72 Street in Manhattan for report of a fire on the 24th floor of a 41-story apartment building. The door from the fire apartment to the public hallway was left open; allowing the fire to spread beyond the apartment. Calls to 911 reported smoke on all 17 floors above the fire, which escalated to a 2nd alarm, bringing more than 100 Firefighters, EMTs, and Paramedics to the scene. The fire was brought under control at 3:42 a.m. There were 22 injuries at this fire; 2 critical injuries, 2 serious injuries, 14 non-life threatening injuries, and 4 injured Firefighters.

At 9:06 a.m. on Monday, January 13, FDNY was called to 2402 Benson Avenue in Brooklyn for report of a fire on the first floor of a 4-story apartment building. The door from the fire apartment to the public hallway was left open; allowing the fire to spread beyond the apartment. Occupants on multiple floors self-evacuated to fire escapes due to smoke conditions throughout the building. This was an all-hands fire, requiring a response from more than 60 Firefighters, EMTs, and Paramedics. The fire was brought under control at 9:52 a.m. There were 5 injuries at this fire; 1 critical injury, 1 serious injury, and 3 non-life threatening injuries.

Both fires are under investigation by Fire Marshals from the FDNY Bureau of Fire Investigation.

CLOSE THE DOOR SAFETY INFORMATION:
On December 28, 2017, a 5-alarm fire in a Bronx apartment building at 2363 Prospect Avenue killed 13 people – the deadliest fire in New York City in 25 years. The door to the apartment at this fire was left open, allowing smoke and flames to spread throughout the public hallway, staircase, and to every floor of the building.

Closing the door isolates fire and prevents smoke, heat and flames from spreading to common areas of a multiple dwelling (hallways and stairs). In a private home, closing a door to the fire area can prevent rapid spread of fire throughout the structure. The FDNY Foundation urges everybody to ALWAYS CLOSE the DOOR. Closing the door behind you will help save lives.

PSA in 16 languages can be found on YouTube.
PSA on importance of closing the door can be found on YouTube.
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