Violation Issued To BK Brownstone Where 4-Building Fire Began

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A fire that spread to four Bed-Stuy brownstones on Monday started in a vacant building that had been undergoing an illegal renovation, according to the city.

The Department of Buildings has issued a violation and a "Stop Work Order" for 283 Monroe St. after discovering that there had been construction going on in the building without the property permits prior the blaze, which broke out around 7:40 p.m. and quickly spread to three neighboring buildings.

The fire — which sent one firefighter to the hospital and took two hours to extinguish — left severe damage at 283 Monroe St. and two neighboring brownstones, which both had holes in their roofs when building inspectors showed up.

A fourth building suffered minor damage, officials said.

The Red Cross was called in to help find housing for three families who were displaced from the two severely-damaged buildings. The buildings have since been boarded up, along with 283 Monroe.

283 Monroe, which had been vacant at the time of the fire, had stood empty for at least a year, according to the department.

DOB officials had last visited the property in April 2019 when someone complained that it was "open and unguarded."

"A subsequent DOB inspection conducted on 4/22/19 found that the property was padlocked and properly closed off to the public. As the property was closed to the public, no enforcement actions were necessary," DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky told Patch.

The city's engineers are following up with the owners of all three brownstones to ensure the properties are made safe and that there are no further structural issues, Rudansky said.

Patch has reached out to the Red Cross to find out how many residents were displaced by the fire.