An FDNY firefighter who lost his family home in a five-alarm blaze over the weekend said his mom has been “crying on and off” since the fire left his immigrant parents without their home of 20 years in Brooklyn and torched all their belongings.
“There is a lot of stuff going on in my head — the living situation, we lost everything,” FDNY firefighter Piotr Orlowski told The Post, adding, “I am glad my family got out safe, my neighbors got out safe.”
“Imagine your house going up in flames… my parents are immigrants from Poland and they lost everything.”
“It’s pretty sad, my dad doesn’t show emotions… My mom is crying on and off,” he said.
Orlowski, assigned to Engine 202 in Red Hook, jumped into action late Saturday when the blaze broke out in the Dyker Heights house next to the one they rented.
The 33-year-old said he was watching TV and about to go to sleep just before midnight when he saw and smelled the smoke.
“I told them [parents] to shut the windows and get ready just in case,” he said before running next door to help get the elderly neighbor to safety.
Orlowski dashed back to his house, telling his parents, “there is no time, grab everything, we are leaving in 20 seconds.”
The firefighter of four years was still optimistic, thinking the fire wouldn’t jump to their house.
“I thought everything was going to be OK… then the fire just spread to my house and watched the whole thing,” Orlowski said.
“We lost everything, it is what it is.”
It took 220 firefighters to the blaze under control at 1330 74th St. and the neighboring homes, fire officials said.
Twelve suffered minor injuries, officials said.
FDNY Chief Kevin Wood said Monday Orlowski would be recognized for his bravery.
The union is helping the firefighter and his family find a play to stay, according to Orlowski, and Patricia Ciurej set up a GoFundMe, which had already raised nearly $40,000 by Monday evening.
“We lived in the house for 15, 20 years… a change of life now — got a new living situation.”