Photo Courtesy of FDNY
Firefighter Timothy Klein
By Michael V. Cusenza
City Firefighter Timothy Klein died Sunday while battling a blaze in Canarsie, Mayor Eric Adams and Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced.
The six-year veteran smoke-eater was trapped under a ceiling collapse and critically injured while battling a 3-alarm fire on Avenue N. Klein was removed from the building by his fellow Firefighters and rushed to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.
“New York City has lost one of its bravest today – Firefighter Timothy Klein,” Adams said. “He lost his life doing the job we asked of him every day – bravely fighting to save others from fire. We pray for his family and his fellow Firefighters during this terribly painful time.”
“The Department is heartbroken today at the loss of Firefighter Timothy Klein, who died risking his life to save others,” Kavanagh added. “His family has a rich history of service in the FDNY, and he bravely followed in their footsteps. The hearts of the entire department are with the Klein family and with the members of Engine Company 257 and Ladder Company 170.”
On Sunday, April 24, at 1:49 p.m., FDNY units responded to 108-26 Avenue N in Brooklyn for reports of smoke in the area. Firefighter Klein (assigned to Ladder Company 170 but working in Engine Company 257 on this tour) responded in under five minutes with his fellow firefighters and found visible fire in a private home. The fire quickly escalated to a 3-alarm fire. Conditions in the fire building deteriorated rapidly and the Incident Commander ordered all members from the building. At that time, a collapse occurred inside the building, injuring four members of Engine Company 257 who were inside at the time. In addition to Klein, one firefighter and his Captain were transported to Staten Island University Hospital with burns, and one additional firefighter was transported to Brookdale Hospital with injuries from the collapse. In all, nine Firefighters, including Firefighter Klein, were injured.
Klein was appointed to the FDNY on December 28, 2015. After graduating from the Fire Academy, he was assigned to Ladder Company 170 in Canarsie, Brooklyn. In January 2019, he delivered the eulogy for Firefighter Steven Pollard, his friend and fellow firefighter from Ladder Company 170 who died in the line of duty.
Klein is the 1,157th member of the FDNY to die in the line-of-duty. A borough native who was raised in Breezy Point, attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, and lived in Rockaway, Klein is survived by his father, retired FDNY Firefighter Patrick Klein, his mother Diane, and his three sisters. The last member of the Department to die in the line of duty was Firefighter Jesse Gerhard, who died on Feb. 16, 2022.
“It is always a tragedy for the City when we lose one of our brave first responders, but it really hits home when one of those people is a resident of your community. And that is the case with Firefighter Timothy Klein who died on Sunday after battling a blaze in Brooklyn. Klein grew up in Breezy Point and lived in Rockaway,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach), a fellow Molloy alumnus, said. “Klein gave his life protecting others, and his bravery and memory will live on through his family and the people that he has saved. I want to send my condolences to Klein’s family and friends, as well as Ladder Co. 170, during this most difficult time, and I wish the other Firefighters injured in that fire a speedy recovery.”
