Red Hook, Brooklyn (WABC) — A massive fire broke out Tuesday morning at the NYPD’s seizure and evidence storage warehouse in Brooklyn, injuring several people and destroying some evidence.
The fire appears to have started in an 8,000-square-foot warehouse on Columbia Street, part of the Erie Basin Marine Pond.
Fifteen New York City police officers were on the property at the time of the fire, but they all fled.
Thick black smoke rose into the sky as dozens of firefighters poured water into the warehouse from all directions.
At one point, an explosion caused the building to partially collapse, forcing the unit to retreat.
As crews use drones and boats to extinguish the fire, officials say the fire could continue for days before it is completely extinguished.
FDNY officials said at least eight people were injured, but all were believed to have minor injuries. This included 3 firefighters, 3 paramedics and 2 civilians.
The extent of damage to the warehouse is not yet known, but as soon as safety is confirmed, investigators will identify the cause of the fire and investigate the extent of the damage.
According to New York Police Department officials, evidence of the unsolved case stored in the warehouse dates back many years, but the scale of what was destroyed is not yet known.
This could include evidence of what the agency considers to be of a historical nature over a decade ago from cases that have already been adjudicated. Problems may arise if any of these cases are appealed in the future.
NYPD Chief Jeffrey Madley said, “We also have biological evidence such as DNA, past crimes, robberies and shootings.”
Authorities stressed that evidence of the rape kit was stored elsewhere and was not lost in the fire.
Other evidence includes historic vehicles, including those of officers who died in the line of duty, traditionally brought out at annual ceremonies.
The building is one of five warehouses where the NYPD stores confiscated vehicles. They also use warehouses to store evidence that is too large to fit in regular storage areas.
Among the vehicles stored in the warehouse, which include ATVs and e-bikes, the NYPD takes extra precautions to prevent lithium-ion batteries from being removed and ignited. The NYPD hosted a demolition of his ATV and dirt bike at the location in 2016.
Thousands of NYPD vehicles are also parked at the connecting pier.
“This is a very serious and damaging fire,” Madrid said. “You can’t really know the scale of what’s been destroyed there until you’ve had a chance to look at the bill and see what was there and see what you can recover. increase.”
As with the 2012 Sandy damages, investigators will know on a case-by-case basis whenever evidence issues arise.
However, they said there was nothing from a current or pending criminal case, except for a seized vehicle that was believed to have been stored there.
“The New York Police Department and District Attorney will provide a full account of the evidence of the damage and will immediately inform defense counsel of each individual case that may have been affected,” said Redmond Haskins of the Legal Aid Society in a statement. I hope that
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https://abc7ny.com/fire-nypd-red-hook-brooklyn/12565483/ Massive fire breaks out at NYPD seizure site, evidence warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn