NEW YORK – A woman accused several firefighters of raping her in their firehouse, though police later said it was unlikely any charges would be filed.
Fire officials said Friday that the woman had acknowledged to investigators that the sex was consensual. Two firefighters were suspended.
The 34-year-old woman called an ambulance early Friday morning and reported that she had been raped by several firefighters inside the quarters of a firehouse in the Bronx (search), the officials said, on condition of anonymity.
Doubts about the woman's story developed during the day and police said there was insufficient evidence of a crime.
Departmental charges against the two suspended firefighters were still being prepared.
Officials said the woman may have met one of the firefighters on the Internet. Twelve firefighters who were working during the incident were reassigned to administrative duties, fire officials said. The firehouse was designated as a crime scene and shut down for much of the day.
A spokesman for the Uniformed Firefighters Association (search) said he didn't know whether the two men had obtained lawyers.
The fire department has been suffering from a string of embarrassing incidents including dozens of arrests of firefighters on drunk driving charges this year and a drunken New Year's Eve brawl in a Staten Island firehouse that left one firefighter with severe facial injuries.
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