A New York City firefighter died late Saturday after he became trapped during a search for residents in a blaze at a Brooklyn high-rise building, the first city firefighter to die in the line of duty in more than two years, the authorities said.
The firefighter, Lt. Gordon Matthew Ambelas, was looking for residents in an apartment on the 19th floor at 75 Wilson Street in Williamsburg when the fire 'flashed over' and trapped him in a bedroom, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said in a statement on Sunday morning. Other firefighters found him unconscious and, along with other emergency workers, tried to resuscitate him.
Lieutenant Ambelas, a 14-year veteran of the Fire Department, was taken in critical condition to Woodhull Medical Center, where he later died. Four other people, including two other firefighters, suffered minor injuries in the blaze.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday at the 21-story public housing building. The blaze escalated quickly, but the fire was under control in about an hour, fire officials said.
Lieutenant Ambelas, 40, who lived on Staten Island with his wife, Nanette, and two daughters, was the first city firefighter to die in the line of duty since April 2012, when Lt. Richard A. Nappi died after responding to a fire at a warehouse in Brooklyn.
The mayor announced Lieutenant Ambelas's death at a news conference early on Sunday with the fire commissioner, Daniel A. Nigro, outside Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn.
'We have lost a real hero tonight, and our hearts are heavy,' Mr. de Blasio said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, fire officials said.
Lieutenant Ambelas, whom friends called 'Matt,' lived in a neat two-story home with brown shingles and a porch on a street on Staten Island where American flags were displayed on almost every porch. On Sunday morning, a police cruiser sat outside the home, and an officer told a reporter that the family did not want to speak to anyone.
A woman emerged from the house and talked on the phone, at one point wiping her eyes. A few moments later, another woman walked out of the house with a young girl. They sat close together on the porch, and one woman put her arm around the girl and cradled the girl's head on her shoulder. She hugged the girl and wiped her cheek.
Lieutenant Ambelas joined the Fired Department in 2000 and was assigned to Ladder Company 81 on Staten Island, the mayor said. In September 2013, the firefighter was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Battalion 28 in northern Brooklyn.
Last month, he was honored as part of a group of firefighters who had helped rescue a 7-year-old boy in Brooklyn who was trapped in a roll-down gate. The boy was pulled 15 feet off the ground after his arm and head became stuck on the gate.
The firefighters were called heroes on June 26, when they were honored by the fire commissioner, a local rabbi and the boy's parents, who thanked them and presented them with plaques.
The episode showed 'that F.D.N.Y. members are always ready to help others,' Lieutenant Ambelas said that day. 'It was great teamwork all around.'
Entities 0 Name: Brooklyn Count: 5 1 Name: Staten Island Count: 3 2 Name: Woodhull Medical Center Count: 2 3 Name: Ambelas Count: 2 4 Name: Fired Department Count: 1 5 Name: Bill de Blasio Count: 1 6 Name: Fire Department Count: 1 7 Name: New York City Count: 1 8 Name: Gordon Matthew Ambelas Count: 1 9 Name: Matt Count: 1 10 Name: Williamsburg Count: 1 11 Name: de Blasio Count: 1 12 Name: American Count: 1 13 Name: Nanette Count: 1 14 Name: Richard A. Nappi Count: 1 15 Name: Daniel A. Nigro Count: 1 16 Name: Ladder Company Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1sgQo0F Title: Firefighter Dies After Blaze at Brooklyn High-Rise Description: A New York City firefighter died late Saturday after responding to a blaze on the 19th floor of a Brooklyn high-rise, authorities said. The firefighter, Lt. Gordon Matthew Ambelas, was among more than 100 who responded shortly after 9 p.m.
