On January 25, smoke and a rosy glow colored the Saturday night sky in central eastern Williamsburg. Thus began the nightmare for ten families and two business (City Chemist and Brujos Brooklyn Taco Company) when a fire that began on the top floor of a three story apartment building grew to four alarms and burned for three hours — displacing the residents and closing the businesses temporarily.
“At 10:30 Saturday evening, the fire department received a call for 335 Graham Avenue. Our units responded here in a little bit over three minutes. Upon arrival, we had heavy fire on the top floor of a three story building,” said FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods. “They’re made entirely of wood, and the fire traveled heavily in that common cockloft, involving all three buildings and directly through the walls. Our engine companies stretched multiple hand lines and did a tremendous job preventing further extension and further damage to the adjoining structures.”
The American Red Cross assisted five households and eight residents with housing and essentials.
St. Nicks Alliance, a local nonprofit profit organization providing affordable housing services in neighborhood, reached out to NYC Department of Buildings and NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to provide assistance. According to Rolando Guzman; deputy director for community preservation and advocacy at St. Nicks Alliance said, “Six families were displaced as a result of the fire and placed in a hotel provided by the Red Cross for 72 hrs. After that they will be referred to HPD for mid-long term shelter”. St. Nicks Alliance was founded 50 years ago when a fire destroyed a row of housing on Powers Street leaving eighteen families homeless. Times were different then; NYC and the Red Cross did not provide emergency housing.
Brujos Brooklyn Taco Company at 333 Graham Avenue, recently announced a new menu. Their most recent Instagram post states, “Dear customers. We regret to inform you that we’re temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see you all when we reopen. Thank you.”
The southwest corner of Graham Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue has been a neighborhood drug store since 1985. City Chemist opened this location in 2016, and from 1985 to 2016 it was Napolitano Pharmacy. When City Chemist opened it retained many of the staff.
“The fires on Graham Street have been devastating for our community, and we are actively working with city agencies to address next steps for both landlords and tenants. These situations can be overwhelming and confusing, which is why my office created the official Fire Guide to help tenants navigate the recovery process. Additionally, we’ve partnered with Council Member Krishnan on the ‘Back Home’ package of bills to support tenants and landlords during these crises, and we are pushing for their passage in the City Council. Everyone deserves a clear path to recovery, and we’re committed to making that happen,” said NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez.
There are four GoFundMe fundraisers created for some of those displaced by this fire.
Robert Mattera (owner of City Chemist), Danica Drezner & Nicolas Cantu, Calvin Thompson, and Lina Le.
FDNY Fire Marshals are investigating the cause.
Then before 9 p.m. on January 27, a fire reportedly broke out on the second floor of another wood frame three-story building at Herbert Street and North Henry Street.
No cause for either fire has been released as of this writing. Yet, in the winter months residential fires seem to increase.
In Fiscal Year 2024 structural fires numbered 24,009, with 19,544 being residential. Of these 1,959 were considered serious according to the Mayor’s Management Report.
On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker and department officials shared winter safety tips due to the bitter cold of recent days.
“It is really cold outside right now, and we know that people are doing things that we are really concerned about,” Tucker said. “The FDNY is ready to respond to any and all emergencies in New York City, but we need your help.”
He offered the following tips: never use your stove or oven to heat your home, never leave a space heater unattended, plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet — do not use extension cords or power strips.
In many older buildings outlets are scarce, but a good many fires are caused by the last one.
Other space heater precautions are: always use certified space heaters and ensure they are placed on flat, nonflammable surfaces; keep them at least three feet away from flammable materials, like curtains, furniture and bedding.
Some romantic gestures can be fire hazards. Candles were the cause of many fires before electricity, and they still are. If you insist on candles for gentle lighting or to scent a room, please remember to: use flameless candles whenever possible, or if using traditional candles, keep them in sturdy holders and away from anything that can catch fire, and never leave candles burning unattended or within reach of children and pets.
Another basic fire safety rule is to never leave things unattended that are cooking on an open flame.
It is also very important to make sure your smoke alarms are working and test them monthly.
The Greenline 