FDNY Says Child Sparked Brooklyn Blaze That Killed Firefighter

BROOKLYN, NY — The Fire Department said Friday that it believes a child is responsible for Thursday night’s Brooklyn blaze that killed a beloved lieutenant.

Lieutenant John H. Martinson suffered injuries while fighting a two-alarm fire at the Ebbets Field Houses in Crown Heights that caused him to go into cardiac arrest. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and a young son.

Firefighters gathered at Martinson’s Brooklyn firehouse Friday morning to hang bunting in his honor and remember a man they say they always wanted by their side.

His brother spoke on behalf of the family Friday from outside their mother’s house on Staten Island.

“I’d like to offer my thanks for the well wishes that we’ve gotten from the city, pretty much from the mayor down to the elected officials, the fire officials, the fire officers, the firefighters, everybody’s been outstanding and we really do appreciate that, and the family does thank you for everything that you’ve done for us,” said Steve Martinson.

He added that his brother was a man of character.

“He was a good man – someone I think everybody should try to be like,” said Martinson.

Martinson’s captain says the loss is an enormous one for all who knew him.

“John was a well-loved fire officer,” said Engine 249 Captain Thomas Reilly. “He was a mentor to the younger firemen, and he was a voice of reason in calm at many fires and emergencies. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Jessica and his son John.”

The fire broke out just after 7 p.m. Thursday night on the 14th floor of the Ebbets Field Houses. Firefighters said the smoke was so thick they could barely see their hands in front of them.

Fire officials told NY1 the family that lived in the apartment was using the stove to heat it.
They say a six-year-old child put a piece of wrapping paper into the flame, and when it caught fire — to avoid getting in trouble — he stuck it under the bed.

Fire Department sources say the door to the apartment where the fire started was left open, which allowed the blaze to spread.

“John was a hands-on type of guy. He was quiet, but if John had something to say you listened and he led by example in every part of his life,” said Reilly. “John went in first always.”

Martinson became separated from his unit and the smoke and heat were so bad that fellow firefighters couldn’t get to him. Firefighters working on a different floor heard desperate maydays coming from Martinson, who was losing oxygen. By the time he was found, he had run out of air and was already in cardiac arrest.

Martinson served the city for 18 years, starting out with the NYPD before heading over to the FDNY in 1993 to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“He gave everything he had and his death really does break the hearts of all of us,” said Bloomberg. “His courage and his selflessness remind us of how lucky we are to have heroes who go to work every day to keep the rest of us safe.”

“The two companies – Engine 249, Ladder 113 – are two of our busiest and two of our most sought-after companies. It’s just a terrible tragedy. He leaves behind a 22-month-old son, [his] wife is expecting,” said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.

Shortly after the fire, the mayor met with Martinson’s wife to offer his condolences.

“Just a short while ago I had to deliver the news that no wife wants to hear, that her husband, a father of one, one of New York’s Bravest, will not be coming home after his last run,” said Bloomberg.

Four other firefighters and four residents of the building were injured in the blaze.

It took more than a hundred firefighters to contain the blaze.

A wake for Martinson will be held Sunday and Monday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Casey McCallum Rice Funeral Home at 30 Nelson Avenue on Staten Island. His funeral is set for Tuesday. It will be followed by an 11′ o’clock mass at St. Clare’s Church at 110 Nelson Avenue.