12-15-85 5th Alarm Briarwood, Queens H-Type building
On Sunday December 15th 1985, I went to visit my parents in Brooklyn. At that time, I was living in Briarwood, Queens. In the evening, I heard the Brooklyn dispatcher announce a 2nd Alarm in the Borough of Queens, Located at Queens BL & the Van Wyck Expressway, in the Briarwood, Jamaica section of Queens. I put the Queens fire radio frequency on. The fire was in a large apartment complex called Briar Wyck. The fire was extending from a lower floor up the apartments to the cockloft, and spreading across the entire A wing of the H-type building. The Third Alarm was transmitted. I took the Belt Parkway east to the Van Wyck expressway, going North. As I was getting close to the scene a 4th Alarm was transmitted. I exited at Jamaica Avenue, and continued North to Queens BL. I parked my car, grabbed my camera gear, including two cameras, One for B &W film, the other one for Color film. At that a few newspapers used color. The Daily News and NY Post were still using B & W film. I walked a few blocks up Queens BL to the front of the fire building. There was a heavy smoke condition coming out of many apartments. I could see a red glow coming from the roof of the fire building. It was a tall H type apartment building. A Fifth alarm was transmitted. It was hard to get good photos from the street. I entered the building, went to the B wing staircase, and went up to the top floor. After I reached the top floor I continued up to reach the bulkhead door. I opened up the door and walked outside to the roof. There was heavy fire coming through the roof of the A wing. Firefighters using Partner saws were making trench cuts to keep the fire from getting into the B wing. Other firefighters using pike poles were pulling up the parts of the roof that was just cut. This was a very large building, that needed a fifth alarm and many special calls. Handlines were brought up the stair cases and up fire escapes to reach the fire. This job took lots of man power. The fire was being extinguished. I went down to quickly check out the top floor. The top floor was completely destroyed. I went down to the next floor. The apartments had damage to their ceilings, in some apartments you could see the stars and sky. It always amazes me how much damage happens at these H-Type, New Law Tenement type of buildings.
Whenever I see a 6th story red brick apartment house with fire escapes, it is most likely a new law tenement building. They were built after WW ll. They are like indoor lumber yard. The fire can travel through pipe and electrical voids all the way up to the cockloft and roof. These are difficult fires to fight. Every void must be searched to check for spreading fire. Lots of manpower are needed for firefighting and to search the building for any persons trapped, and also to see if the fire extended and if it did, what direction it is headed. Firefighters will always check the surrounding apartments and the apartments above the fire.
Read MoreWhenever I see a 6th story red brick apartment house with fire escapes, it is most likely a new law tenement building. They were built after WW ll. They are like indoor lumber yard. The fire can travel through pipe and electrical voids all the way up to the cockloft and roof. These are difficult fires to fight. Every void must be searched to check for spreading fire. Lots of manpower are needed for firefighting and to search the building for any persons trapped, and also to see if the fire extended and if it did, what direction it is headed. Firefighters will always check the surrounding apartments and the apartments above the fire.
