The Brooklyn Eagle story on the fire Tuesday night at 42 Remsen is now online. At the time of the blaze, renovations were underway to repair damage done by Thanksgiving fire. According to reports from the scene, a "Collyer's Mansion" condition in the third floor apartment of Carolyn Rogers was the likely source of the fire.
Brooklyn Eagle: Fire Hits Home for Second Time in 4 Months: According to investigators and others who were at the scene yesterday afternoon, the 1840s-era row house has four apartments, including one occupied by the owners, Stephen and Cristina Olsen. They were out of town and not available for comment.
Although the top-floor windows were boarded up yesterday and two of the third-floor windows had been “blown out” by the firefighters, the historic doorway and ironwork at its front were still in very good condition.
Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA), praised the firefighters for their sensitivity in not damaging the historic details. The building’s cornice, however, is now gone.
The BHA, Stanton said, gave the Olsens an award for their renovation of the building, which had been substantially altered before 1965. The couple used old photographs, spoke to people who lived on the block, and compared their house to others that hadn’t been disfigured to restore it to its original appearance.
Renovations were under way in the building, which was still recovering from the earlier fire around Thanksgiving.
Yesterday, workmen were going in and out of the fourth-floor apartment, removing broken glass and charred wood, which was piled up in front of the street. Insurance company investigators had also arrived. A truck containing plywood boards was parked out front.
