SIX DEAD AFTER FIRE ENGULFS BROOKLYN HOME IN NEW YORK

A fire in Brooklyn, New York, killed six people and injured between seven and nine others, according to differing accounts of the toll. New York Fire Department personnel were called to a property on 58th Street in Sunset Park, between 6th and 7th avenues, shortly after 1.30am. Around 200 firefighters tackled the blaze after finding the building engulfed in flames. "Upon arrival, we had fire on every floor," said Kevin Woods, the fire department's chief of fire operations. "Fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door." The cause of the fire has not been determined.

The property has been described as a two-storey home and, in other accounts, as an apartment building. Firefighters rescued four people from the property, reaching two residents trapped behind window bars by entering through a rear entrance. Footage showed flames coming from a second-storey window as glass broke, while thick black smoke forced nearby residents away from their homes. The fire also damaged an adjoining property and was brought under control in around three hours. Eight neighbours were evacuated and taken to hotels. One person was seen receiving CPR on a stretcher outside the building.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the fire at a news conference near the scene, saying: "This was a devastating fire. It will take a long time for this neighbourhood to mourn the neighbours they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief." The fire department said those injured, including three firefighters and two police officers who sustained minor injuries, were expected to survive. No names of the victims or the injured have been released. Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.