The 106th Precinct sponsored an Easter egg hunt on Saturday for the community. Egg hunters from all over the precinct turned up at Officer Nicholas Demutis Park, adjacent to the precinct grounds. A good time was had by all with prizes for the kids. Photo Courtesy of the 106th Precinct.
An early morning blaze broke out at the Ardsley apartment complex in Lindenwood on Saturday around 7:30. The fire started in a fourth floor apartment in the six-floor building at 153-25 88th St., near 155th Avenue, and according to FDNY officials was the result of careless smoking.
Units arrived at the building and were informed about the exact location of the fire by a maintenance worker. Firefighters went directly to the third floor, and then climbed upto the fourth where the halls were filled with thick smoke and high heat.
Firefighters had to rely on a thermal imaging camera to guide them once on the burning floor as there was no visibility. “It gave us a general idea of where the heat was coming from,” Lt. Gerard Cox said.
They found an apartment with its door a jar and entered. Lt. Cox assigned the members a direction of where to search and within a few seconds Firefighter James Goelz felt a foot a few feet into the apartment, just outside the bedroom door.
Firefighter Goelz and fellow Firefighter John Bunning carried the woman out of the apartment and were met at the top of the stairs by another firefighter who carried the woman with Firefighter Bunning down the stairs as Firefighter Goelz returned to the apartment to search for other victims.
The woman who was caught in the fire had no respiration or pulse as firefighters from Ladder 107 got her out of the building. With the help of EMS workers, they managed to revive the woman who was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition but expected to survive.
A total of five people were injured in the fire, four of whom were taken to the hospital or treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The blaze saw 14 units attend and more than 70 firefighters responded to the scene.
“It feels great, this is why we do this job,” Firefighter James Goelz said.“It’s what this job is all about.”
By Patricia Adams
