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May 23, 2026. A man and a woman are dead and three others injured after a fire ripped through a mixed-use building at 1693 Nostrand Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn early Saturday morning — the first day of Memorial Day weekend.
Source: Citizen NYC (@CitizenAppNYC) — Scene video from Nostrand Avenue.
What Happened
FDNY units from Battalion 40 responded to multiple calls about a fire at 1693 Nostrand Ave shortly before 7:00 AM on Saturday, May 23. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from the second floor of the three-story mixed-use building.
Crews launched rescue operations after reports of trapped occupants, including people found near a rear fire escape. Four patients were located during the operation:
| Victim | Status |
|---|---|
| Man (civilian) | Pronounced dead at scene |
| Woman (civilian) | Pronounced dead at scene |
| Third person | Transported — serious condition |
| Fourth person | Transported — non-life-threatening injuries |
| Fifth person | Non-life-threatening injuries |
The fire was brought under control at approximately 7:45 AM — less than an hour after the first calls came in. FDNY marshals are now investigating the cause of the blaze.
The Building
1693 Nostrand Avenue is a three-story mixed-use building in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, between Clarendon Road and Avenue D. Nostrand Avenue is one of Brooklyn’s major north-south corridors, running from Sheepshead Bay through Flatbush, Crown Heights, and into Bedford-Stuyvesant. The block is densely built with residential and commercial properties typical of the neighborhood.
Mixed-use buildings — with commercial space on the ground floor and residential units above — present particular fire safety challenges. Second-floor fires in these structures can trap residents above the fire floor while cutting off primary exit routes, forcing reliance on rear fire escapes that may be obstructed, deteriorated, or unfamiliar to occupants.
A Deadly Weekend Start
This fire comes during what is shaping up to be a punishing Memorial Day weekend for New York City infrastructure and emergency services. The city is already dealing with:
- 2–4 inches of rain forecast through Sunday — potentially the wettest Memorial Day weekend in 78 years
- LaGuardia Airport Runway 4/22 still closed after ground-penetrating radar found additional subsurface instability
- Four sinkholes in nine days across the metro area
- Ongoing recovery from Tuesday’s severe thunderstorm that dropped 6 inches of rain and paralyzed the city’s infrastructure
FDNY responded to this fire while simultaneously managing increased call volume from the ongoing rain event.
Fire Safety Reminders
With the Memorial Day weekend underway and severe weather continuing:
- Working smoke detectors save lives. Test yours today. NYC law requires smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every residential unit.
- Know two ways out of every room in your home. If fire blocks the primary exit, the secondary exit — often a fire escape or window to a safe area — must be accessible and unobstructed.
- Close doors behind you when leaving during a fire. A closed door can hold back flames and toxic smoke for critical minutes.
- If you’re in a building fire and can’t get out, close the door to your room, seal gaps with wet towels, and call 911 with your exact location. Go to a window and signal for help.
- Never re-enter a burning building.
If you see unsafe conditions in your building — blocked fire escapes, missing detectors, locked exits — report them to 311 or the NYC Department of Buildings.
The identities of the deceased have not been released pending family notification. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by FDNY marshals.
Sources: amNY | Citizen NYC | Photo credit: Withheld