By Scott R. Axelrod
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK — A fire at a former church building on Castleton Avenue in West Brighton prompted a large FDNY response Tuesday night and resulted in injuries to three firefighters.
The three-alarm blaze was reported just after 7 p.m. at 1074 Castleton Ave., near West Street , according to emergency radio transmissions.
Staten Island *3RD ALARM* Box 0396
— NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) October 9, 2024
1074 Castleton Ave
FIRE IN A CHURCH #FDNY @UFANYC @UFOA854 pic.twitter.com/ZXfhnyxVul
As dozens of onlookers took to the sidewalks craning for a better view, police worked to keep the crowd back from the blanket of white smoke that could be seen billowing up the block.
The 3 1/2 story building was once the site of Full Gospel Tabernacle Church , but area resident Steve Makustak said it has been unoccupied for several years. From his home around the corner, Mukustak said he heard what sounded like “a bomb went off” and when he walked over, the structure was “engulfed in a ball of fire.”
According to an FDNY spokesperson, 33 units and 138 firefighters were on scene actively investigating the building, at one point cutting into a doorway and through several areas of roof as heavy flames shot out into the night sky from the top two floors. Multiple ladders stretched up to adjacent buildings in an effort to contain the blaze.
The three injured firefighters were transported to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton in unknown condition, the FDNY spokesperson said.
As per emergency radio transmissions, the fire was placed under control just after 9:30 p.m.
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