Firefighter Michael R. Davidson served FDNY for 15 years and "was cited for bravery on four separate occasions," according to the New York City Fire Department.
A New York City firefighter has died after huge fire broke out in a building in Harlem that was used earlier as a movie set.
The blaze broke out in the cellar of an unoccupied building on St. Nicolas Avenue at about 11 p.m. Thursday. Two firefighters were taken to the burn center at Cornell with serious burns, authorities said.
FDNY named the dead firefighter as Michael R. Davidson, 37, who served the department for 15 years. It said Davidson was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
"He was cited for bravery on four separate occasions," FDNY said in a statement. "Firefighter Davidson is survived by his wife, Eileen, and four children. He is the 1,150th member to make the Supreme Sacrifice while serving our city," FDNY added.
New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro told a news conference: "The fire was in the cellar of this building. It was actually unoccupied at the time. It was being used earlier to film a movie."
"Firefighter Davidson was the nozzle-man of the first-to-arrive engine company, Engine 69," Nigro said. "They encountered heavy fire. They did the best they could."
Nigro said the firefighters were forced to back out of the building as the fire advanced, and Davidson was separated from the rest of the unit.
He said as well as the two seriously injured firefighters, a number had less serious injuries and three civilians suffered "very minor injuries at the scene."
Eric Phillips, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary, tweeted: “This is an awful night. We’ve lost an NYC firefighter.”
Multiple media reports indicate the blaze broke out on the set of Motherless Brooklyn, a movie directed by Ed Norton starring Bruce Willis, Willem Dafoe and Alec Baldwin.
Contributing: Eve Chen