Fire in an Elevator Shaft – Building Evacuated

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] – At around 3:45 this afternoon residents of 675 Empire Boulevard were forced to evacuate the building due to a heavy smoke condition on all of the buildings six floors.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

FDNY arrived on scene within moments and quickly determined that the source of the smoke was from a fire in one of the elevators motors, which appeared to have overheated and caught fire. Firefighters opened the vent shafts and smoke was seen billowing out of the roof.

A short while later, the residents were allowed back into the building and were told to open their windows to ventilate the acrid smoke smell. B”H there was no injuries nor is damage to any of the resident’s property.

This incident is another in a long list of troubles the buildings residents have had with the elevators, ranging from them simply being out of service to people getting stuck, as we have previously reported.