Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams expressed his gratitude for the hundreds of FDNY firefighters that have been battling a massive warehouse blaze in Williamsburg since early yesterday morning. The fire, which reached seven-alarm status, has been particularly challenging due to extreme cold, significant wind, and the fact that the flames are being fueled by paper documents stored inside the facility.

“The courage and fortitude of ‘New York’s Bravest’, in some of the most adverse conditions possible, is helping to keep Brooklynites safe as they fight this tremendous fire in Williamsburg,” said Borough President Adams. “On behalf of the entire borough, and especially the residents of the locally affected community, I want to express my deep gratitude for all those working to get this blaze under control.”

In the midst of this incident, Borough President Adams also voiced his concern about the management of government records, as both city and state agency documentation has been destroyed in the fire. He urged local, state, and federal leaders to accelerate efforts toward digitization of public sector files for purposes of efficiency, cost savings, and environmental friendliness, among other potential benefits.

“I do not believe that government has sufficiently updated its Stone Age approach to records keeping, in spite of the Digital Age society in which we live,” said Borough President Adams. “While some entities on the city, state and federal levels are to be lauded for their swift efforts toward digitization, others are not moving quickly enough. I look forward to helping advance this effort forward in the days ahead, such that we can see leaner, greener records management while assuring Brooklynites that the security of sensitive documents and information is also in clear focus.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)