Four people were injured following a burn-related incident at 739 East Gun Hill Road, the site of a new building under construction, on Monday morning, May 15, FDNY officials said.

 

All hands were asked to respond to the location at 8.38 a.m. on Monday. An FDNY spokesperson told Norwood News, “It was not a fire. It was a work-place related incident.” He explained that the department initially received a call regarding a fire at the location but it later transpired that it was a work-place related incident, saying there was some type of “ignition” that caused burns but that it was not a fire.

When asked, he said neither was it a collapse. “It did result in four patients, all civilians, three of whom were transferred to Jacobi… the last one they treated on scene,” the spokesperson said. “Whatever caused [it] was a result of whatever materials they were using. I know they’re still doing an investigation over there,” he added.

 

Attached is a brief video of the scene at the location on the morning of the incident, where a section of East Gun Hill Road was cordoned off to vehicle traffic between Holland Avenue and White Plains Road.

 

Several fire trucks and some police vehicles were seen in the area responding to the incident.

We spoke to some construction workers who, speaking in Spanish, confirmed they were asked to evacuate the building but did not know what had happened. Others said they had not yet arrived on site when the accident occurred or said they worked for different companies at different sites.

 

Some UPS workers we spoke to at the rear of the building did not know what happened either. Indeed, most people we spoke to did not see or hear any fire or noise.

 

Norwood News reached out to NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) for comment. David Maggiotto, DOB deputy press secretary, advised that DOB inspectors arrived at the 8-story building on Monday morning and inspectors reported that three workers were performing waterproofing work inside the building’s retention tank on the 1st floor when the waterproofing material caught fire, burning the workers.

He said that first responders transported the injured workers by ambulance to a local hospital and that inspectors reported they were conscious at the time. Maggiotto said DOB issued a partial stop work order at the property, putting a halt to all hot work and waterproofing work at the site, as well as all work associated with the storm-water detention tank.

 

We mentioned that FDNY initially said that there were four injured people and that one had been treated at the scene and asked DOB if they wished to comment further on the number of injured. Andrew Rudansky, DOB press secretary, said the department had been informed by first responders that three injured workers were transported from the scene to a local area hospital.

 

A person wearing a Stagg Group shirt was seen interacting with City officials at the site. Norwood News has reached out to Stagg Group for comment and will update this story upon receipt of a response.

 

In addition, Maggiotte said that DOB issued a total of five violations for the following reasons:

• • failure to safeguard all persons and property affected by construction operations;
  • permit holder failed to provide proof that injured workers have training for working in confined spaces;
  • failure to provide manufacturer’s specification for using highly flammable material;
  • inadequate pre-shift safety meeting, that did not adequately address the safety issues and related danger and precautions;
  • failure to provide FDNY permit for using propane torch at the site.

 

We spoke to one passerby, Lewis Thomas, who works in the area, and who said the building under construction was a new building, as opposed to a renovation. Asked what he knew of the incident, he said, “When I just pulled up, there were a lot of fire trucks blocking the place. They said there was like a confined fire down in the basement. I guess it could have been disastrous but they got on top of it before it got out of hand.”

 

A funeral home located next to the building was not evacuated. The owner, Francine Ross-Roden, told us the accident happened even before they opened up, before 9 a.m., or before they got to work.

 

“I am not sure what took place next door but I did understand that some people got hurt,” Ross-Roden said. “My concern is with those that got hurt, that it wasn’t serious or life threatening, that they’re ok, they will be healed and taken care of and they can continue what they set off to do next door in building it.”

 

She said there were no previous accidents at the location to her knowledge. “They’ve been very gracious in allowing us to continue our services here, and working here, and working with our families that we serve as far as making sure that they don’t block the front or anything. They’ve been very good. In any event, regardless, we pray that those that were injured are not injured seriously.”

FDNY officials said the incident was “closed” at 9.47 a.m.

 

In photos taken on June 9, the building was closed and locked and the stop work order notice from NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) was posted to the door.

See also our recent coverage on the topic of immigration.

 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to indicate that the incident took place at 739 East Gun Hill Road and the stop work order is in place for 739 East Gun Hill Road, according to NYC Department of Buildings (DOB). Initial reports were that the incident took place at 737 East Gun Hill Road. DOB documents indicate that 737 and 739 are part of the same lot.