Firefighter dies in Brooklyn: Timothy Klein passes away battling house blaze, 7 others left injured

A building in Brooklyn was engulfed in flames on Sunday, April 24, 2022. The incident happened around 3 p.m. at 10826 Avenue N in Canarsie, where two attached houses were caught in a massive fire that jumped into a three-alarm.

The fire caused the structure to collapse, claiming the life of a brave firefighter, Timothy Klein. Other than the humongous loss, seven other fighters were injured while bringing the fire down.

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The Brooklyn fire claimed two lives

The Fire Department of the City of New York's (FDNY) department chief, John Hodgens, described the Brooklyn fire by saying:

"Timothy Klein was on the nozzle team that went into the right side building, on the second floor. They were extinguishing the fire. Everything seemed to be going routine, when suddenly, the entire second floor became engulfed in flames."

This resulted in the entire floor collapsing and trapping the team of four. While three of these firefighters could escape, 31-year-old Klein got stuck in the falling debris.

Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, commemorated the martyr by saying:

“It gives us great pain and sorrow to announce that New York City has lost one of its bravest, Timothy Klein, 6 1/2 years as a firefighter, 31-years-old, coming from a rich tradition of dad and other relatives who are firefighters. New York has lost one of its Bravest.”

Last night, hundreds of cops and firefighters lined up outside the medical examiner's office to salute Klein as his body arrived.

According to officials, Klein grew up in Breezy Point, Queens, and lived in Rockaway. His father, Patrick Klein, is a retired firefighter. Other members of the family include his mother Diane and his three sisters.

Klien's LinkedIn profile suggests that he graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens before attending York College of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s degree in sports management and athletic administration in 2012, and spent over two years working as an administrative assistant at the US Athletic Training Center.

The deadly fire at the Brooklyn residence required more than 100 firefighters. The injured firefighters, including members of the nozzle team, were taken to Staten Island University Hospital after suffering from mild to severe burns.

Clara McKenley, an eyewitness from the Brooklyn neighborhood, said that the fire was "the scariest thing" she had ever seen. She described the scene by saying:

"The flames were massive, and there was so much smoke. Everybody was running back inside their houses to get away from it. It just kept burning and burning, you felt like the wind was going to blow the flames from house to house."

Andrew Ansbro, president of the FDNY Firefighters Association, also shared his condolences by saying:

“There are no words that aptly describe the loss of a fellow Firefighter in your company and this department, and the Klein family is now living the worst nightmare of every person who has ever sworn the sacred oath to the FDNY.”

It is reported that the fire in Brooklyn harmed two civilians. Unfortunately, one of them lost their life, while the other was treated at the scene and refused further medical attention. The identity of the deceased civilian has been kept private. Meanwhile, Klein is recorded to be the 1,157th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty.