Great Kills Blaze Deemed Suspicious, Authorities Say;

No One Is Seriously Hurt

Staten Island Advance 10/19/09

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An all-hands fire tore through a semiattached house in Great Kills earlier this evening, and authorities are calling the blaze suspicious.
    Fire broke out around 7:15 p.m. inside the kitchen of a rear studio apartment at 71 Giffords Lane, according to FDNY Deputy Chief Richard Howe of Division 8.
    A teenage boy inside the main residence got out in time and the apartment's tenant wasn't home, Howe noted.
    Eleven firefighters reported minor injuries.
    "Due to the heavy volume of fire upon arrival, the marshals are going to be called to examine the scene," said Howe.
    The teenage boy's father, mother and daughter were out visiting relatives when the fire broke out.
    More than a dozen units responded to beat back the flames, shutting down Giffords between Amboy Road and Katan Avenue and forcing traffic and city buses to be rerouted.
    Firefighters had to rip off large swathes of the gray aluminum siding.

    Some of the injured firefighters were transported to Staten Island University Hospital for evaluation.

    The fire was declared under control at 7:41 p.m.