FDNY Marks Hazardous Building on Blighted Smith St. Block

Members of the FDNY paid a visit to a vacant Carroll Gardens building on Wednesday and spray painted it with a handful of green Xs, leaving neighbors mystified. 
 
Fire Press has since confirmed to Patch that the markings left on 250 Smith Street, between Douglass and Degraw Streets, indicate that the building contains hazardous conditions. They were applied by the local unit to communicate to companies from outside of the neighborhood not to enter in the event of a fire, a representative said.

"We want to mitigate the risk versus reward," he stated. "It's a vacant building and if anything was to happen further, we would not put our members in danger but instead work from the exterior." 

When asked whether such "hazardous conditions" were a threat to neighboring buildings or passersby, the representative said they were not.

"Flooring might be missing or there may be holes in the roof, those are the types of conditions we're referring to," he said. 

The building is one of a strip of shuttered businesses on a block that has long drawn the ire of neighbors. As of 2011, the properties were being managed by Fae Holdings Woodside and had a list of DOB complaints. Yet, they continue to languish. 

Stay with Patch for updates.