The Wall Street Journal – March 03, 2015
by Joe Jackson
An elderly Brooklyn woman died Sunday night after a fire started by faulty electrical wiring engulfed her home, officials said.
Kathryn Johnson, who was 89 years old and lived in the borough’s Bay Ridge section, was pronounced dead on arrival at Lutheran Medical Center around 9 p.m., police said. She had suffered smoke inhalation and burns to the body, officials added.
No other residents were injured in the fire, which began about an hour earlier, police said.
Frank Dwyer, a spokesman for the Fire Department of New York, said the fire was not being treated as suspicious. He added investigators believed it began accidentally, with a faulty electrical cord from a lamp situated near a couch in the home.
There have been 22 fire deaths in New York City since Dec. 1, with nine of them being deemed accidental and due to electrical issues, Mr. Dwyer said.
Jacqueline McDonald, 80, lived opposite Ms. Johnson’s house for decades and attended the nearby Our Lady of Angels Church with her over the years. “She was a lovely person,” she said, tears welling. “I was horrified to see the flames.”
The fire appeared to have gutted the two-floor house on a quiet residential block where numerous American flags on poles hang from homes. The property’s blown out windows were boarded up by Monday morning, as workers continued to clear the interior.
Neighbors, visibly distressed by the tragedy, said smoke invaded their homes during the fire. Some reported hearing a small explosion as the blaze broke out; minutes later, numerous emergency responders arrived at the scene, they said.
“The whole street was awash with fire engines, ambulances, police,” said Joel Miller, 45, a criminal justice professor who lived opposite Ms. Johnson.
Residents said Ms. Johnson was infirm and had not been seen out much in recent years. Her husband died many years ago and she had several children who visited, including two daughters living on the same block, they added.
Susan Bologna, an emergency services technician and lifelong local, said she attended the same school, P.S. 127 McKinley Park, as one of Ms. Johnson’s daughters.
She said the local community is tightly knit, with each generation getting to know each other. “It hits home when you know them, their family,” Ms. Bologna said of Ms. Johnson’s death. “It ripples from family to neighbors to community.”
No comments yet.