PHOTOS: On Oct. 17, 1966, 12 firefighters were killed in what was the deadliest day for the New York City Fire Department until the 9/11 terror attacks. Two chiefs, two lieutenants and eight firefighters lost their lives as they tried to battle a fire at 22nd St. by entering a building on 23rd St. before it collapsed.
The call came in at around 9:36 p.m. at an art dealer located at 7 East 22nd Street, off of Broadway. The four-story brownstone was so engulfed by smoke and heat that it became impossible to enter through the 22nd Street side of the building.
While the dealer had stored highly flammable lacquer, paint and finished wood frames in the basement that fueled the fire, the cause was unknown, according to the NYFD.