Twenty-three American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY) staff members and volunteers, along with a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), rushed to the scene of a 5-alarm fire that ripped through a Brooklyn apartment building at 1245 Eastern Parkway at about 2:45 am on Saturday, April 22.

Nearly 200 firefighters fought the blaze, which left dozens of families homeless. Red Cross responders assisted 57 families (119 adults and 36 children) affected by the fire with food, hot beverages, blankets and mental health counseling at the scene. They also aided first responders including firefighters and police with food and beverages, and provided 38 families (81 adults and 20 children) displaced by the fire with temporary housing.