After Horrific Brownsville Fire Kills Baby, Residents Call for Burn Unit in Brooklyn

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — After a horrific fire in Brownsville's Howard Houses last Wednesday that killed a 1-year-old baby and his 40-year-old aunt, Brownsville residents and local elected officials, led by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, urgently called on Monday for Brooklyn's first burn unit.

There is currently no place in Brooklyn to treat burns. Burn victims in Brooklyn are sent to Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, or Staten Island University Hospital North.

Alexandra Ortiz, the 40-year-old who was killed in the fire, suffered smoke inhalation that would have been treatable at a burn center, according to Adams.

According to Adams, there were 8,518 structural fires in Brooklyn last year alone.

"In the memory of every Brooklynite we have lost to a fire, especially those to burn- and smoke-related injuries, it is critical that we act," Adams said. "The proximity of a burn unit translates into health care access that can mean the difference between life and death."

A new burn unit in Brooklyn would give Brooklynites access to the new advancements in health care that help wounds heal as well as prevent infection and reduce inflammation, Adams said.

The borough president was joined by NY State Senator Kevin Parker, several local elected officials, and members of the Howard Houses Tenants Association, as well as former world champion boxer Zab Judah, who was born and grew up in Brownsville, at the press conference on Monday.

"Commuting fire victims outside of our borough for treatment is unacceptable," Parker said. "We can save more lives by having a burn unit in our borough to see that victims receive immediate care."

A burn center would provide treatment for the four health care phases of burns: treatment and surgery of the wounds, interventions to prevent shock, rehabilitation services, and reconstructive surgery. The facility would treat all kinds of burns, like thermal burns from fires, chemical burns from cleaners and swimming pool chemicals, burns caused by a spill of hot liquids, and electrical burns that can also cause internal injuries.

A new eight-bed burn unit would cost $14.5 million for the first year, which would include construction and operating costs. Adams put $4.15 million from the 2016 budget into the cost, and he and Parker are asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to allocate $10.44 million from the 2017-18 executive budget toward the facility.

Adams has been fighting for a burn unit in Brooklyn, but Wednesday's fire that broke out in the public Howard Houses complex on Mother Gaston Boulevard renewed his sense of urgency.

The fire broke out on the 13th and top floor of a high-rise building, killing the 1 -year-old boy and injuring six other civilians, according to the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). Get the latest updates on this fire and other news from Brownsville and East New York by clicking here.

The baby boy who died in the fire was identified by police as Ivan Baez. He lived on the 13th floor, and was found "unconscious and unresponsive" when firefighters arrived, according to the NYPD.

Two other civilians were transported to Brookdale Hospital with "severe" injuries; three more with "serious but non-life-threatening" injuries and one with minor injuries, fire officials said.

Photo credit: Erica Sherman/Brooklyn BP’s Office