1977 Blackout -FDNY Action Vid-2

News footage from July 13, 1977 - when a Blackout hit NYC. FDNY operates at MANY arson fires amid the looting and chaos. This clip is from Bushwick, Brooklyn, neighborhood burning ! Credit to Sheldon Levy, who shot this footage !! (Best upload yet containing the audio, last minute is blurred up) R1SmokeEater Collection.

[@luisrivera8185]

I was there on the street, as this was happening. I was 14, and working at Nicks Pizza, which was about three blocks away. Crazy stuff was happening all around the city that year.

[@paulvincent3410]

I lived on the 12th floor of a dorm at Pratt. We could not leave. We went on the roof and watched the carnage below for 23 hours.

[@lizard389]

Never realized all the great footage Sheldon (RIP) got.

[@mrp3263]

Love the image quality.. looks like it isn't the 70s u know? I love that shit.

[@robroy6374]

i know exactly what you mean. looks like the 80s, but it isn't.

[@ethandiamond1726]

This is NOT the famous July 18th, 1977 10-Alarm Bushwick fire at Knickerbocker and Bleecker Street. It is instead footage of a fire on July 13th, 1977 during the blackout at Somers Street and Mother Gaston Boulevard in East New York.

[@hood_nation_tv]

Wow this is gold

[@infantry1]

i lived on Menahan street at the time, was 8 years, remember the fire well..

[@henrypenna6689]

This was no where near Menehan Street

[@20babyway]

i wanna know how long that electric system in NY gone . i mean Blackout how long? ..1 day? sorry for my bad english

[@suzannekleine8694]

Hi, I'd like to use some of this footage if possible for an upcoming project I'm making. I know Mr. Levy passed away - can you let me know who I can discuss this with? Thanks!

[@R1SmokeEater]

[e-mail]

[@urbantraxx3756]

That 20 yr period from 1964 - 1985 in NyC was known as the war years becouse it was the war on all the arson attacks that was going all over the place .. they even had a place in the Bx called gasoline Alley

[@BreezesofConey]

Are you sure this isn't maybe... July 14??? The morning after the black out started??

[@frankierivera8552]

Yes, it was the morning after the black out, the fire started before the sun came out that morning. I live around the corner from there. Remember it as if it was yesterday. After all these years, they just build a hotel on that spot in 2015. So the lot stood empty for about 37 years.

[@ngrajal]

Anyone know what corner was this on?

[@henrypenna6689]

This is the corner of stone Ave and Somers street now mother Gaston Blvd saw this first hand unfortunately

[@luisrivera8185]

@@henrypenna6689 nope, this in Bushwick.

[@henrypenna6689]

@@luisrivera8185 it's not Bushwick it's stone Ave I was there

[@thomasdoyle9795]

At 1:08 of the vid you can just barely see the street sign say Stone Ave.

[@frankierivera8552]

@@luisrivera8185 Stone Ave. & Somers Street. Henry and I grew up together in the area.

[@pictureisup1]

yes in was july 14th

[@desertshore]

talk about a hot mess!!

[@howiefaust2966]

Like a garden hose. Sheesh

[@jffsmth330]

Anybody know what those constant popping sounds are? Don't think it's gunfire but maybe it is.

[@ekop1778]

MOST LIKELY CHEMICLES FROM THE BUILDING

[@henrypenna6689]

jffsmth330 those pooping sounds are the window of the bldgs blowing out .I can tell you from being there this was directly across the street from my childhood home I looked for myself in this video to no avail scary day being 8 and all

[@thomasdoyle9795]

Tubes from the televisions

[@maysiderr]

BLACK (out) only

[@dom2yillpso881]

We need more of that today. Its a great solution if we just end it once the entire area looks like that corner and leave it at that. Just walk away at that point and leave them to sit on the remains and do heron.

[@JescoWhiteLightning]

You are a moron.

[@jamesvotinelli9976]

these people destroy all that is good

[@MySugarWallz]

I agree. Scummy landlords, bankers, and realtors. gothamist.com/2016/09/26/1977_blackout_bushwick_burned.php#photo-3

[@azul8811]

MySugarWallz And you think that's who went around burning buildings and looting during the 1977 blackout?

[@luisrivera8185]

These, people whom you refer to during those times, would be mostly Jewish landlords, paying someone set these fires for insurance reasons. I lived it, as a child, did the research, became an NYPD Detective, now retired.

[@JescoWhiteLightning]

​@luisrivera8185 absolutely correct. They still do it.

[@aidenpearce4396]

Two weeks

[@jimmypearce9323]

40 years ago....seems like not much has changed....

[@azul8811]

*+Jimmy Pearce* Oh, really? In what regard? Using water as an extinguishing agent? Or were you referring to the overall condition of NYC? If it's the latter, I take it that you don't you live in the 5 Boroughs, for an awful lot has changed in NYC since this was filmed in 1977. Admittedly, the city continued to decline well after this. It did, however, rebound, starting in the early 1990's. There is nowhere near the same amount of fire duty in this city today as there was back then. (I believe the record for the number of structural fires was set in 1976 actually.) There are no longer blocks of vacant buildings, nor are landlords walking away from their properties. There is a building boom. Neighborhoods have been revitalized, and people are no longer fleeing the city. In fact, the city population has actually *increased by 1 million people* during the last 20 years or so. There is much less crime. In fact NYC is THE safest large city in the country. In 1990 we had 2,262 murders. Last year that number was 335. This year it is projected to be below 300. Your thoughts, Jimmy?

[@jimmypearce9323]

Just from watching other videos....and all the bombings and attacks that go on there.....being a small town country boy, it all looks horrible to me...

[@jimmypearce9323]

Just from watching other videos....and all the bombings and attacks that go on there.....being a small town country boy, it all looks horrible to me...

[@azul8811]

Uh huh.

[@frankierivera8552]

It’s people like you who was born, raised and maybe still lives somewhere in West Babbaville that have no idea what they are talking about. So after you take you foot out of your mouth, maybe do some research before talking nonsense. You are definitely the typical type of person that thinks they know it all. So in the meantime STFU. COMPREDE