A baby was killed, and two children were left in critical condition, when a fire tore through a Bronx building on Monday afternoon, according to authorities.
The blaze erupted on the second floor of a building on Bainbridge Avenue between East 193rd Street and East 194th Street around 3:40 p.m., according to the FDNY.
Five people, including three with critical injuries and one with serious injuries, were taken to area hospitals. A person with minor injuries refused medical attention, officials said.
A 1-year-old boy was later pronounced dead in the hospital, and two 6-year-olds, a girl and a boy, remain in critical condition, according to the NYPD.
Three firefighters with minor injuries were also taken to the hospital, authorities added.
Witness Velrie Nadugala told The Post she saw smoke-eaters carrying a small baby covered in soot from the burning building before performing CPR on him and rushing him to the hospital.
“I see them bring a little small baby out, he was so dark with soot all over him. I couldn’t even see, you know, his face or nothing,” Nadugala recalled.
“I started crying and screaming, praying to God, hope he’d be OK,” she said. “It was heartbreaking, very heartbreaking,”
“The way he was covered up so dark with all that black stuff on him, I knew he wasn’t going to make it because he was so little.”
Fire crews brought the flames under control by 4:40 p.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
