Two NYPD housing officers suffered critical injuries Sunday when they rushed into a Brooklyn high-rise for a suspicious fire and suddenly became overcome by smoke, police said.
The blaze at 2007 Surf Ave. in Coney Island began about 12:30 p.m. on the 13th floor when somebody set fire to a mattress, cops said.
NYPD Housing Bureau Officers Rosa Rodriguez, 36, and Dennis Guerra, 38, responding to 911 calls, ran inside the 18-story NYCHA building and boarded an elevator, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said.
“Fire Department personnel arrived at the building and made their way up to the 13th floor, where they located both police officers unconscious and unresponsive,” Bratton told the New York Daily News.
At press time both officers remained in critical condition. Three firefighters and eight other people were treated at the scene. One civilian was taken to Coney Island Hospital with minor injuries.
