A two-alarm blaze tore through several City Island buildings before dawn Tuesday morning, just days before the FDNY plans to slash staffing at the Bronx island's lone ladder company.

Ladder 53 - slated to be left empty overnight - was on the scene of the 3:50 a.m. fire within a minute, putting water on the flames and evacuating the buildings' groggy tenants, witnesses said.

The next ladder company, which traveled across the bridge from the mainland, did not reach the fire for another eight minutes, according to the FDNY.

While the injuries were minor, islanders fear the next nighttime fire could have deadlier results.

The majority of City Island buildings are one-story, but a few have several floors and need a ladder company in the event of a fire, residents said.

"If they make these \[budget\] cuts, it is only a matter of time before people die," said Anthony Diaz, 33, who lives on the island with his wife and 3-year-old daughter.

"Everyone is willing to sacrifice in this budget crisis," Diaz said, "but not to sacrifice the lives of our children."

Last month, the Fire Department announced that Ladder 53 will be one of four FDNY units that will be closed between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. starting Jan. 17 as part of the agency's cost-cutting efforts.

Investigators believe the Tuesday fire started in a second-floor apartment above the Island Pub on City Island Ave. and spread to the attached businesses and homes on the block.

Ladder 53 was on the scene one minute after the initial 911 call at 3:50 a.m. Engine 70 - which shares a firehouse with Ladder 53 - showed up at the same time.

Eight minutes later, Engine 89 arrived from in Throgs Neck, along with Ladder 61 from Co-Op City.

The fire under control by 5:51 a.m. Its cause is under investigation.

Three civilians and five firefighters were taken to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation. A pet cat and dog were killed in the blaze, witnesses said.

The blaze reignited the staffing controversy, as Bronx residents and politicians called for Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta to reconsider his decision.

"Of all the fat in the budget, they can't think to trim anything except the men and women who keep us safe while we are sleeping," said Darlene Ramos, 44, who lives a block from the fire. "Minutes and miles can be the difference between life and death."

"This morning's horrific fire emphasizes the critical need for a full time Ladder on City Island," said state Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester).

A FDNY spokesman said that the plan to cut staffing at the firehouse is still in place.

FDNY officials have pointed out that Engine 70 will remain staffed overnight, and Ladder 53 is one of the least active units in the city.
Out of the company's 144 runs in 2007, only one was at night, FDNY officials said. Through the first 10 months of 2008, when the most recent statistics are available, the ladder company did not respond to any overnight blazes.
Last month, Firefighter Nicholas Vrettos of Ladder 53 was arrested after he called in a dozen false fire alarms to protest the decision to partially close his firehouse.