East Kensington’s Buck Hosiery burned, two firefighters dead in 5-alarm blaze

A 5-alarm fire consumed the abandoned Thomas Buck Hosiery Factory at York and Jasper in East Kensington early this morning. Parts of the building collapsed during the blaze and nearby homes were evacuated as embers ignited smaller fires nearby. The fire was brought under control around 5:30am.

Barely a week ago, Hidden City Daily looked closer at the Buck complex’s current state of abandonment, excuse-making Brooklyn developers, and frustrated neighbors who try to care for the neglected property. The property had been vacant since Buck closed in the 1970s and the current owner-developers have shown no movement on years-old plans to convert the factory into live/work lofts.

Jeff Carpineta from East Kensington Neighbors Association was on Action News early this morning, noting that the city had been unresponsive to neighbors calls to 3-1-1 to deal with the building. (See video above.) But now, of course, the fire will prove costlier than sealing up the building and issuing violations.

Tragically, Action News is reporting that Engine 7, Ladder 10 lost two firefighters fighting the blaze. Three others are receiving treatment.

As the sun came up today it became clear that the Buck complex is gone.

[NOTE: Both videos from 6 ABC Action News. The first video is from 6:51am, the second is from 7:56am.]