Fire In Brooklyn Courthouse Injures 12 Guards And Firefighters, Officials Say (UPDATES)

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, NY — A fire tore through the holding cell area of the high-rise Kings County Criminal Court building at 120 Schermerhorn St. late Wednesday afternoon, injuring 9 court officers and three firefighters, according to city fire officials.

Seven of the injured guards and two of the firefighters were evaluated by paramedics at the scene for "minor" injuries, an FDNY spokeswoman said, and two guards and one firefighter for "moderate" injuries.

Most if not all of the victims had been transported to Long Island College Hospital for treatment by 5:45 p.m., she said.

Patch reporter Marc Torrence was live on scene:

Around 60 firefighters responded to the courthouse blaze just after 4 p.m., the spokeswoman said. It burned for nearly two hours before the FDNY declared it "under control."

An FDNY spokeswoman could not immediately provide info on the suspected source of the fire.

Court workers and visitors evacuated from the building Wednesday afternoon could be seen pouring out onto Schermerhorn between Boerum Place and Smith Street.

A Twitter user named J. Hall uploaded a video of flames shooting from an upper window of the 13-story building. (See below.) "Yooooo my court building on fire," he wrote.

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