I read in one of the books that the Soundview section of the Bronx had 970 or so commercial and residential buildings in 1970. In 1980 there were only 45 or so left standing. When I was promoted to BC in 1976 I was assigned to the 10th Battalion on East 85th street which covered the East side from 59th street to 103rd street. If an arsonist had burned down 9 or 10 buildings in this area a Task Force would have been established by the authorities with blaring headlines in the local papers, as it should have been. Why 900 buildings in Soundview and nobody cared? An example of this would be Gasoline Gomez. Gomez, a name given to him by the brothers, would "hit" every 7 to 10 days or so in 82's area, mostly around Charlotte Street. He would hit on night tours. Always around 1900 or so we would get a small rubbish fire 1st floor rear of a vacant or partially vacant residential building. Then around 2300 we would get another rubbish fire either same building or one close by. Then around 0300 or 0400 we would get 3 or 4 floors going in one of these buildings. This went on for at least a year. I can still remember BC Powell (RIP) pleading with an older Irish couple who lived in one of these building after the 2300 fire saying that there would be a serious fire later that night and we may not be able to save them. They had lived in this building for 40 years, were the last occupants now, lived on the top floor. The couple were most resistant because they had 5 or 6 dogs and said that they wouldn't be able to take them with them so they would not leave them. BC Powell was able thru the Red Cross to relocate the couple with their dogs. Around 0400 we had 4 floors going in the building front to rear, side to side. Every Gomez fire we had, the 1900, 2300 and 0300 fire, the 10-41 would be transmitted. Charlotte Street at this time looked somewhat like Berlin in 1945. How hard would it have been for several marshals to set up on a roof near a "tickle" building and wait for the guy carrying the gas can in the street at 0300? The Charlotte St. assignment (box 2743) at that time was 82,85,45,31,59,Sq 2, B27,D9. A lot, lot of the brothers paid a heavy price responding to these fires. Three of the members written about in Smith's book, Bill Kelly, Vinny Joyce had very short retirements 2 or 3 years, Willy Doyle died of a heart attack in qtrs., Gomez gasoline. Gomez would use gasoline usually in rear rooms of the buildings so that we could not use the towers initially.
Nothing was ever done about Gomez until the Lord had enough. After one of his fires the guys were overhauling throwing the debris out a rear window. The debris lit up and a line was stretched to put it our. While operating the line a moan was heard underneath the debris. Gomez had blown himself out a rear window I believe on the 3rd floor as that was where the gas can was found. Badly burned with broken bones he survived. Arrested he went to trial but beat the case by stating that he only went into the building to light a cigarette, woke up in the hospital. Gomez was never heard from again, as far as I know. So the question would the city have allowed 900 Yorkville buildings, Gracie Mansion lets say, burned down?
Nothing was ever done about Gomez until the Lord had enough. After one of his fires the guys were overhauling throwing the debris out a rear window. The debris lit up and a line was stretched to put it our. While operating the line a moan was heard underneath the debris. Gomez had blown himself out a rear window I believe on the 3rd floor as that was where the gas can was found. Badly burned with broken bones he survived. Arrested he went to trial but beat the case by stating that he only went into the building to light a cigarette, woke up in the hospital. Gomez was never heard from again, as far as I know. So the question would the city have allowed 900 Yorkville buildings, Gracie Mansion lets say, burned down?
