Faulty Wiring Blamed for Two Recent NY Fires, One Deadly

Faulty electrical wiring sparked two massive Staten Island infernos that took the lives of two children and seriously injured three firefighters, FDNY officials said Tuesday.

FDNY Fire Marshals determined faulty wiring was to blame in the Dec. 23 blaze on Van Duzer St. in Grymes Hill that killed a 5-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy and injured four other siblings.

Two other children in the family — boys, ages 5 and 10 — were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Two older children, a boy, 12, and a girl, 14, suffered smoke inhalation. Their mother, who was not at home at the time of the fire, collapsed outside and was rushed to the hospital in shock, authorities said.

A firefighter was also hospitalized with minor injuries.

The marshals determined faulty wiring also sparked a massive inferno that tore through two homes on Shotwell Ave. in Arden Heights on Feb. 17. The fire quickly raged out of control and caused a section of building to collapse.

Two firefighters and an FDNY lieutenant were hospitalized with serious injuries.

One of the injured firefighters had to dive out of a second-floor window to escape the flames, FDNY sources said. Another was pulled unconscious from the collapse and later diagnosed with a brain injury before regaining consciousness.

“I cannot emphasize enough that this was a very close call for the FDNY,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at the time. “We could have lost three members today.”

Nineteen firefighters suffered minor injuries, FDNY officials said.

When he was released from Staten Island University Hospital North more than three weeks later, FDNY Lt. Bill Doody from Ladder 84 said he was “lucky” to be alive.

Fire marshals classified both fires accidental.

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