Brooklyn Heights fire forces evacuations during Thanksgiving dinner

By Zinnia Maldonado, Lori Bordonaro

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — Thanksgiving meals were interrupted by flames in Brooklyn after a manhole fire spread to a building, prompting emergency evacuations.

Residents in Brooklyn Heights were forced to improvise their holiday plans because of high carbon monoxide levels in the vicinity of their homes on Remsen Street.

“It’s scary seeing flames coming up in front of your house,” James Deutsch said.

Con Ed says mechanical problems caused the fire

According to the FDNY, a car was torched and an apartment building has to evacuated due to the fire, which started at around noon on Thursday.

The FDNY said there were no injuries and that by 6:30 p.m. carbon monoxide levels had dropped enough so that residents could safely return.

Con Edison said mechanical problems caused the fire and that power to several dozen customers likely wouldn’t be restored until around midnight. Con Ed and National Grid are expected to remain on the scene to make additional repairs.

Leo Merkel said his block went dark just hours before his dinner.

“We were just cooking our turkey and now not going to have turkey. No power,” Merkel said. “Pretty frightening. Some loud booms going off, which were pretty jarring.”

Merkel and his neighbors were waiting patiently for the power to come back on.

“Gonna have to get some blankets, bundle up tonight,” Merkel said.

Deutsch family makes the best of it, thanks to the FDNY

Diana Deutsch and her husband, James, went from setting up a dinner table for 14 to carrying their Thanksgiving meal onto the sidewalk.

“We have our sweet potatoes. We have our turkey,” Diana Deutsch said.

Family members said they were happy that firefighters were able to salvage their dinner.

“We were able to go in, save their Thanksgiving dinner, pack it up,” FDNY Deputy Chief Stephen P. Corcoran said, adding it was an “extremely distressing situation, especially on a holiday like to be able to go that extra mile just help these people out, you know, beneficial for everyone.”

“Instead of serving it in our own house, we’re gonna bring it over to my son’s,” Diana Deutsch said.

“So, it’s just gonna be a much smaller gathering, but thank God we’re all safe,” James Deutsch said.

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