WILLIAMSBURG — A woman and a man were found dead after firefighters brought a massive blaze in a Williamsburg apartment building under control Monday morning, officials said.
Spread to second building by the time NYFD arrived and started setting up. pic.twitter.com/ngrfZq6gk2
— Stefan (@suchvillainy) December 28, 2015The victims, whose names and ages were not immediately released, were pulled from 30 Richardson St., near Lorimer Street, after flames erupted about 1:35 a.m., FDNY and NYPD officials said.
The woman was found on the second floor while the man was found in the basement, officials said.
The man and woman, who investigators believe lived in the building, were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries at the scene, an FDNY spokesman said.
Unbelievable. Next door house exploded just now on Richardson in #Williamsburg #Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/9IxPUarY6x
— Pim Philip (@pimphilip) December 28, 2015Some tenants saved their sleeping neighbors by waking them after the fire started, according to tenant Theresa Vibberts, 31.
"I could see the flames. The fire was so bright," Vibberts said.
"The flames were all in my kitchen."
Vibberts lost everything in the blaze, she said.
"I escaped in only the shirt I was sleeping in. I have nothing. No wallet. No phone," she said.
Flames also scorched the nearby home of Carol Grayford, 62, and Steven Kilpatrick, Grayford said.
Grayford bolted awake when she heard what she thought was an explosion. She looked outside and saw a wall of fire.
"It was like the sun had descended right in front of my door," she said.
She and Kilpatrick wrapped themselves in wet towels and raced through an alleyway to safety, dodging flaming cables hanging above their heads.
The rear of 30 Richardson St. was badly burned after the fire. (DNAinfo/William Mathis)
About 198 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control at 4:47 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the fire, officials said.
