Maura Grunlund
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze is treating two Fire Department members who are in serious but stable condition after they were burned in a three-alarm fire that claimed the life of a 31-year-old firefighter in Brooklyn.
A captain and a firefighter are being treated in the burn center of the medical facility in Ocean Breeze, according to a spokeswoman for the FDNY/EMS.
Nine were hurt in all, and Timothy Klein of Ladder Company 170 was fatally injured in the blaze at 108-26 Avenue N after a ceiling collapsed inside the home on Sunday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams and Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced following the response.
https://twitter.com/FDNY/status/1518303339355779073
The NY Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund, also known as Answer the Call, announced on Monday that it will be providing Klein’s parents with $50,000.
Klein, a six-year veteran of the department, was removed from the burning building by fellow firefighters and rushed to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries suffered when he was trapped under a collapsed ceiling.
The fire began just before 2 p.m. on Sunday and as emergency responders were battling the blaze, deteriorating structural conditions prompted a call for evacuations from the building.
Officials said a total of nine firefighters, including Klein, were injured in the response.
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Funeral arrangements are pending for Klein who is the 1,157th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty, following Firefighter Jesse Gerhard who passed on Feb. 16, according to the official Facebook page for the FDNY.
Gerhard, 33, suffered a medical episode at the Ladder Company 134 firehouse, and he was transported to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital where he later died.
“Firefighter Klein died a true hero.” said Stephen Dannhauser, board chairman of Answer the Call. “He followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the FDNY six years ago and died far too young, at just 31 years old, while protecting our city. Our organization vows to never forget his sacrifice and the sacrifices all first responders make each and every day.”
To learn more or to donate, visit: www.answerthecall.org.
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