UP IN SMOKE

3-Alarm Blaze Expected to Destroy ‘Most’ Evidence in NYPD Warehouse

The city’s fire chief said it could be days before the flames are fully extinguished and officials are able to enter the building.

A three-alarm fire on Tuesday morning ravaged a Brooklyn warehouse owned by the NYPD, likely destroying or damaging “most” of the evidence impounded in the building, according to city fire officials. First responders were “overwhelmed by the amount of fire” with three firefighters, three emergency responders, and two civilians suffering minor injuries in the blaze, which remained active late into Tuesday, according to FDNY Chief John Hodgens. At a press conference, Hodgens said that it could be “a few days” before the fire was fully contained and officials could get inside the building to assess the extent of the damage. Around 140 firefighters from 33 fire units responded to the scene, the department said. The Red Hook complex contains one of five storage units in which the NYPD keeps crime scene evidence—including DNA records from decades-old cold cases—confiscated vehicles, or evidence too large to fit in other storage areas. The evidence goes back 20-30 years, NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said, describing it as a “serious” situation. Maddrey said evidence stored was mostly “biological,” including DNA from past crimes, burglaries and shooting incidents along with motor vehicles, bikes and historic vehicles. Rape kits, however, were not stored in the warehouse. He said they once it’s safe, officials will begin their investigations inside.