Fire at Court Street Botanica

A fire broke out in the backroom of a Court Street botanica this morning, sending 5 civilians and 3 firefighters to the hospital. 

The two-alarm blaze started at 7:40 a.m., said Deputy Assistant Chief James Leonard, and required 75 firefighters to fight it.

The three-story building, located on the corner of Court and Garnet streets and adjacent to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway overpass, had two residential apartments in the top floors, and Botanica de la Milagrosa in the ground floor.

Leonard said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

"We got reports of people trapped in the building," said Leonard, adding that the smoke was so bad firefighters had to enter the building and rescue two people.

Lt. Peter Trout and firefighter Nathaniel Igbowu both rescued trapped inhabitants.

Virginia Borges lives nearby and knows the family that lives in the building.

"This is a tragedy," she said. "They are the most loving and compassionate people."

Another neighbor, Eunice Bovan, said she visited the botanica often for "candles, blessings and rosaries for my family."

Moses Vasquez, whose family has owned Botanica de la Milagrosa for decades, said when he got the call that the place was on fire, he was worried.

"This place is destroyed," he said.