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Clued in on Brighton blazes – CB13 hopes to get low-down from fire marshals

By Michèle De Meglio

Brighton Beach residents will soon have a chance to grill Fire Department officials about the spate of suspicious blazes that destroyed several bungalows.

A fire marshal will be present at the next meeting of Community Board 13's Public Safety Committee to offer details about the fires and answer residents' questions, according to the committee's chair, Stephen Butch Moran.

“The next committee meeting will be your chance,” Moran told area residents at a Community Board 13 meeting.

Since last fall, several vacant bungalows in Brighton Beach were set ablaze and ruined.

The Fire Department has labeled the fires suspicious and several unidentified suspects were recently arrested for their alleged involvement in setting the fires.

By press time, the Fire Department did not provide details about the individuals arrested.

The most recent fire occurred on March 13 on Brighton 5 Walk.

Even Fire Department officials expressed concern about the number of blazes hitting Brighton Beach.

“Lately, we've been down here a lot,” a fire battalion chief said at the scene.

Neighborhood residents are fearful that the fires could spread from one bungalow to another.

“If this spreads to a couple of other bungalows here and there are a couple of DOAs, somebody's going to say, 'What happened?'” Brighton 3rd Street resident Judd Fischler told this paper after one of the fires. “I hope that we don't have to go through that.”

Community Board 13 has yet to schedule the next meeting of its Public Safety Committee. To remain posted on a date and time, contact the board at 718-266-3001.