Firefighter and Lieutenant Die After Bronx Fire

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

A 25-year-old Probationary Firefighter and a veteran Lieutenant died from injuries suffered while battling a three-alarm blaze in The Bronx Aug. 27.

MICHAEL C. REILLY

Probationary Firefighter Michael C. Reilly, appointed to the Fire Department April 11, 2006, arrived at the South Bronx fire as part of Engine Company 75, where he had been stationed for the past six weeks. Firefighter Reilly was rushed to Bronx Lebanon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest. Doctors said it was possible that Firefighter Reilly may have also sustained serious injuries during the fall that trapped him and four other firefighters, including Lieut. Howard Carpluk, 43, for more than 90 minutes in the basement of the one-story 99-cent store.

The five firefighters were searching for civilians when an air-conditioning unit fell from the fire-riddled roof, wiping out the supporting structures of the first floor and crashing into the basement, taking the men with it.

Lieutenant Carpluk succumbed to his injuries on Aug. 28. The 20-year-veteran, usually stationed at Engine Company 42, was assigned to Engine 75 as a weekend fill-in. He had been battling the blaze from inside the 99-cent store when the floor gave out, and his tank of air ran dangerously low as he waited in the rubble to be rescued. Fire officials said the trapped men were able to communicate their locations to Chiefs outside.

HOWARD J. CARPLUK

Firefighters digging through the debris succeeded in snaking oxygen hoses to their colleagues, allowing them to avoid smoke inhalation as their own air supplies were used up. Lieut. Carpluk, however, had gone into cardiac arrest by the time he was pulled out.

Doctors at Bronx Lebanon Hospital labored for 45 minutes to restore a steady pulse. Lieutenant Carpluk was then transferred to a cardiac support center at Montefiore Medical Center.

Others Injured

The three other firefighters are: Battalion Chief Thomas W. Auer, 47, of Battalion 17, a 23-year veteran; Lieut. John P. Grasso, 45, of Engine 92, a 20-year veteran; and Wayne J. Walters, 30, of Engine 75, a 4-year veteran. They are listed in serious but stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center.

In all, FDNY officials said, 23 firefighters were injured.

Firefighter Reilly, survived by his mother, father and brother, had already earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues for a strong work ethic and welldeveloped sense of discipline, officials said.

The 25-year-old from Sleepy Hollow had been a volunteer firefighter in high school, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000. He had just returned from Iraq when he was called to join the FDNY. He was a Sergeant in the Marine Reserves. Mayor Bloomberg at an earlier press conference said he remembered shaking Firefighter Reilly's hand at his graduation ceremony just a few weeks earlier. He added that "the loss of any Bravest in the line of duty is a blow to the heart of our city."