CANARY, Brooklyn (WABC) – The funeral of FDNY firefighter Timothy Klein will be held Friday in Bell Harbor, Queens.
The ceremony will take place at St. Francis de Sales Church, 129-16 Rockaway Beach, said Father Jim Cunningham, an associate pastor.
The announcement was published in a publication of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Firefighter Klein was a parish priest of St. Francis de Sales and a lifelong resident of Rockaway.
Flags were waved to half the staff in New York on Monday as the FDNY mourned the 31-year-old firefighter who was killed while battling a fire in Canary, Brooklyn, over the weekend.
Klein’s body was escorted from Brookdale Hospital to the Brooklyn Funeral Home on Monday night. Along the way there was a solemn bouquet of honor and respect in the city, which lost another of its bravest.
The ceiling collapsed as firefighters battled the third alarm fire, capturing Klein and sending other firefighters to climb safely.
Several people jumped out of the windows to escape the flames and smoke, and the remains of another man – identified as 21-year-old Carlos Richards – were also found in the structure devastated by the fire.
Klein, a six-year veteran and son of a retired firefighter, was trapped in the crash shortly after the 108-26 Avenue N home burst into flames around 1:40 p.m. Sunday.
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“Timmy understood the risks, we all understand him growing up in a family of firefighters,” said cousin Keith Klein. “Timmy abandons his parents who adored him, three younger sisters who adored him, a beautiful friend was ruined, understandably. Countless uncles, aunts, cousins and childhood friends. That’s a big loss. “
Klein was on the second floor with three other firefighters when the floor receded. The other firefighters managed to jump to a safe place through the windows or down the stairs, but Klein failed to escape.
“The commander of the incident identified deteriorating conditions and ordered all members to leave the building,” said FDNY acting commissioner Laura Cavanagh at Brookdale University Hospital, where Klein was pronounced dead. “While they were doing it, there was a partial collapse of the ceiling. Four members were caught in the crash. Three have escaped and are now stable in local hospitals.
As for Richards, a police dog detected human remains in the rubble, and although the building was unstable, firefighters were able to remove the body.
Richards was a resident with autism who was unaware of the blaze and was reported missing by relatives.
The fire left the house structurally unstable and was destroyed on Monday afternoon. But the images of horror remain.
“(Klein) was an officer’s dream, the man you’re looking for,” said FDNY captain Mark Schweichard. “We will miss him. He did a lot of charity work over the weekend and we are heartbroken here.”
Adams said the injuries of five other firefighters were not considered life-threatening and an investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing.
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However, Schweichard said that the guards were calling and the department was ready.
“We will return to these facilities,” he said. “One more day and we’ll honor Timmy by doing so. That’s what we’re doing.”
Klein is the second FDNY firefighter to die in the line of duty this year, and he is the 1157th FDNY member to make the biggest casualty.
Bunting now hangs on the Ladder 170, Engine Company 257 in his honor.
Jesse Gerhard, 33, died on Feb. 16 when he collapsed at his fire station just a day after battling a house fire in Far Rockaway, Queens.
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