Fatal Flatbush Fire Was Caused By Space Heater, FDNY Says

EAST FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — A fire that ripped through the top floor of a Nostrand Avenue apartment building, killing one man and hurting at least six others, was caused by a space heater, FDNY officials said.

The FDNY Fire Marshal said Tuesday that the 1776 Nostrand Ave. blaze that broke out on the top floor of a three-story building early Monday morning was caused accidentally by a space heater that had been plugged into a power strip.

Fire officials say that space heaters should be plugged directly into the wall and not in extension cords to avoid fires, according to a safety video by the FDNY.

"Space heaters need space," FDNY Lt. Tom McGarry says in the video. "If you're using a space heater to stay warm, keep you and your family safe by keeping the space heater at least three feet from bedding curtains and other materials."

McGarry added that space heaters should be turned off before residents leave the room or go to sleep.

The Nostrand Avenue blaze broke out around 4 a.m. and took more than an hour and 106 firefighters to extinguish, according to the FDNY. It ended up killing a man who officers found unresponsive inside the building and hurting at least six others, one of whom was a police officer, officials said.

All of the people hurt, including the man found unresponsive, were sent to the hospital. The man later died from his injuries.

The fire broke out in a three-story building that has an driving school and immigration services business on its bottom floor and apartments in the top floors, records show.