SI Advance

Meiers Corners homes burns for over an hour; 1 dog saved in rescued

The blaze at 349 Buchanan Ave. took 120 firefighters more than an hour to extinguish.

A family of seven who reside in two separate apartments in the house was not home at the time.

Unfortunately, their two dogs -- Coco and Puppy -- were.

Firefighters rescued Coco.

Puppy, not even a year old, perished in the blaze.

"It was a terrible scene," said one neighbor, Paul Miller. "It was hell."

The roaring fire broke out at around 3:30 p.m. and went to a second alarm approximately 15 minutes later, according to FDNY Division 8 Deputy Chief James Leonard.

Early today, firefighters returned to the charred home when an outdoor rubbish fire broke out a few feet away from the house.

No one was allowed to stay in the building last night. The residents were believed to be staying with friends or relatives.

"It's definitely suspicious that an open flame broke out after all the rain today and after we hosed the house down earlier," said 22nd Battalion Chief Anthony Orlandi.

The Buchanan Avenue home is owned by a Brooklyn woman who already experienced tragedy earlier this year when she lost her husband in a car accident.

Paul Miller and his brother, Jim, unsure if anybody was inside during the afternoon blaze, tried kicking down the door, but were unsuccessful until firefighters arrived. "It was bad, man," said Jim Miller, "It was bad."

At some point during the fire, 10 firefighters were trapped inside the burning house until being rescued.

Nine firefighters were treated at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, and Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, and treated for minor injuries.

Officials are investigating how the fire may have started but believe it began in the basement and moved its way to the first floor.

Family members were at work and school when the fire started.

They were saddened and confused after learning of the two-alarm blaze.

"To come home and see this," said Luis Guzman, one of the tenants living at the home, "It's hard. It's as hard as it gets."

Guzman, 26, is the nephew of Mario Ayala, Sr., 41, a heating and air conditioner repairman, who has occupied the home for the last four years. Ayala lived there with his four children, Mario, Jr., 19, Erica, 21, Antonio, 9, and Ally, 6 in the first-floor apartment and basement. Guzman moved in nine months ago and has lived with his uncle, Ayala's brother, Sam Smith, 36, in the second-floor apartment.

The homeowner is Barbara Langner, formerly of Meiers Corners, whose husband, Alfred Langner, froze to death after a car crash in the Adirondacks in late January. Mrs. Langner survived partly because her husband had covered her with a blanket to battle the elements. The couple was unable to summon help because their wasn't any cell phone reception on the desolate Northway. She moved to Brooklyn about 16 years ago and has owned the Buchanan Avenue home for 34 years.

Ms. Langner could not be reached for comment last night.