BUSHWICK — A fire that tore through an apartment building on Himrod Street was ruled an accident on Friday after fire investigators discovered it was caused by candles, the FDNY said.
The blaze, which injured seven people, erupted at 368 Himrod St. on Tuesday morning after candles caught fire on the ground floor. The whole building was quickly engulfed, requiring more than 200 firefighters.
Community leaders this week warned that winter fires were a problem in the neighborhood, especially because of the wooden frames that tend to be common in Bushwick apartment buildings.
The building at 368 Himrod St. had a wooden frame, as did the one where 7-year-old Joel Smith died in his home on 1066 Decatur Avenue. The cause of that fire is still under investigation.
