Brownsville Fire Kills 1-Year-Old Boy, Injures 6 Others at Howard Houses: Officials

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — A fire broke out early Wednesday morning on the 13th and top floor of a high-rise building in the public Howard Houses complex on Mother Gaston Boulevard, killing a 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.

Fire victims included a 40-year-old female, a 32-year-old male, a 22-year-old male, a 20-year-old female, a 17-year-old female and an 8-year-old male, according to the NYPD. All besides Baez were expected to live by Wednesday afternoon, police said.

More than 125 firefighters responded to the fire at 260 Mother Gaston Blvd. on the border of northern Brownsville and Ocean Hill, around 8:35 a.m., the FDNY said.

Footage from CBS New York showed showed Mother Gaston Boulevard and the grounds of the Howard Houses completely clogged with firetrucks, firefighters and building residents:

By 9:10 a.m., the fire had spread to more than one apartment, the FDNY said. Just over 10 minutes later, at 9:21 a.m., it was brought under control.

A home nurse working for an elderly woman on the 12th floor of the building Wednesday morning watched as "a man suffering from smoke inhalation stumbled down from the 13th floor down to the 12th and collapsed in front of the door to the apartment where she cares for an 88-year-old woman," the New York Daily News reported.

“It’s pretty bad,” the nurse, Stacey Atwater, told the Daily News. “He was laying in front of the doorway and they took him to the hospital. It smells of smoke real bad.”

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates.

Did you witness the fire at the Howard Houses on Wednesday morning, or do you know anyone who was affected? Reach out: simone.wilson@patch.com.

Lead image via Google Maps