Two residents were in critical condition and two firefighters were among the injured after flames swept through a three-story home in Canarsie.
CANARSIE, NY — Six people were injured after a fast-moving fire tore through a three-story home on Conklin Avenue in Brooklyn early Sunday, sending two residents to a hospital in critical condition and drawing a large emergency response, fire officials said.
The blaze broke out at about 3 a.m. at 124 Conklin Ave., between East 94th and East 95th streets, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Fire officials said the fire began on the first floor and quickly spread upward, forcing firefighters into an aggressive interior attack as smoke and flames pushed through much of the building. The injuries, including those to two firefighters, left several people hospitalized and displaced multiple families as investigators worked Sunday to determine what caused the fire.
Video from the scene showed heavy flames rolling from the home and thick smoke pouring into the dark early-morning sky as firefighters stretched hose lines and worked around ladders at the front of the building. Assistant Chief Kevin Thomas said crews arrived to find “heavy fire conditions” and moved quickly inside. “The engine companies made an aggressive push in with the handlines knocking down the fire,” Thomas said during a Sunday morning briefing at the scene. The house, described by officials and local reports as a three-story residence, stood in a residential stretch of Canarsie where closely spaced homes can make fast-moving fires especially dangerous. Dispatches circulating on public fire-alert feeds identified the address as 124 Conklin Ave. and showed the incident was raised to a second alarm as the response expanded.
Two residents were taken to Brookdale Hospital in critical condition, according to fire officials quoted by local television outlets. Two other people were taken to area hospitals with injuries that were described as minor or not life-threatening. The FDNY also said two firefighters were hurt while battling the blaze, though officials had not publicly detailed the extent of those injuries by Sunday afternoon. Reports differed slightly on the size of the response, with one outlet saying about 150 fire and EMS personnel answered the call and another putting the number at nearly 140. Both accounts pointed to a large deployment for a fire centered in a single home, underscoring the intensity of the blaze and the difficulty of bringing it under control before it spread further. Authorities had not released the names or ages of the injured Sunday, and it was not immediately clear how many people were inside when the fire started.
The fire also forced families from the building. The American Red Cross said it was helping four families, including 10 adults and one child, with temporary lodging after the blaze. That added another layer to the damage left behind on Conklin Avenue, where emergency crews remained focused not only on extinguishing the last hot spots but also on securing the property and helping residents find shelter. In many New York City house fires, investigators later examine burn patterns, witness statements, electrical systems and any accidental ignition sources to determine where a fire began and how it moved. By Sunday, officials had said only that the blaze appeared to have started on the first floor before spreading to the second. Fire marshals were investigating, Thomas said, and authorities had not announced any preliminary cause. There was also no immediate public word on whether neighboring homes suffered damage or whether any pets were rescued from the building.
Procedurally, the next step in the case is expected to be the fire marshal investigation, which will determine the origin and cause of the blaze and help establish whether the fire was accidental, electrical, mechanical or linked to another factor. Fire officials did not announce any criminal allegations, code violations or enforcement action Sunday. No deaths were reported, but the critical injuries to two residents meant the medical condition of those victims remained a central concern as the day went on. The FDNY had not publicly released a timetable for final findings, and such investigations can take time if the structure is unstable or heavily damaged. Officials also had not said when displaced residents might be able to return, or whether the home would be deemed safe for re-entry after inspection. Any formal determination on cause would likely come after investigators complete scene documentation, interviews and a review of the structure’s fire damage.
By daylight, the block had become a scene of blackened windows, fire hoses and emergency vehicles, with neighbors waking to the aftermath of a fire that began while most residents were asleep. The strongest public comments Sunday came from firefighters describing the conditions they faced inside the home. Thomas said crews encountered “heavy fire conditions,” a phrase that matched the dramatic video from the scene and the scale of the response. For nearby residents, the visible damage and the number of people taken from the home pointed to a frightening few minutes in a neighborhood of family houses and narrow residential streets. Aid workers began helping the displaced as investigators stayed focused on the unanswered question at the center of the case: what sparked the early-morning fire and how it spread so quickly through the building.
The fire was out by later Sunday, but the investigation and the recovery effort were still underway. Officials had not released a cause or identified the injured, and the next milestone is the fire marshal’s determination after the scene examination is complete.
Author note: Last updated March 15, 2026.