Two people were killed and nearly a dozen others injured when a massive inferno ripped through and destroyed a more than century-old building in the Bronx on Tuesday, authorities said.
Over 270 firefighters and EMS workers rushed to the 5-story, mixed-use building on East 187th Street between Belmont and Cambreleng avenues just after 1:30 p.m. over reports of fire and smoke, the FDNY said.
Firefighters discovered “heavy fire” on the first floor of the building, which is home to commercial businesses, FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said at Tuesday night press conference.
The flames “rapidly raced up the stairs” and quickly lit each floor of the building ablaze — prompting firefighters to move “very aggressively” to extinguish the fire on the first four floors.
After reaching the top floors, the smoke-eaters realized the building was structurally unstable and were pulled to fight the flames from the outside, fire officials explained.
Ladder companies pulled up to the building to rescue tenants who’d become stranded in the front and back of the building — including someone trapped in a window without a fire escape and multiple people stuck on a fire escape in the front.
Two unidentified individuals were killed in the massive fire, the FDNY said.
Two other people were brought to local hospitals with serious injuries, and five firefighters and four civilians suffered minor injuries, according to authorities.
There was “heavy, heavy damage” to the building, Woods said, adding that the building’s roof and stairwell had collapsed during the raging inferno.
Woods said the building was not fireproofed and was “very challenging due to the amount of voids in this building, which is over one hundred years old.”
“Today, the Bronx faces yet another fire that has rose to a five-alarm. Twenty-six residential units here in this building on East 187th Street,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson told reporters.
“And unfortunately, we lost two of our neighbors. Our hearts go out to those families and loved ones of the two victims in this fire.”
Gibson also commended the work of the city’s first responders, adding that without their “heroic efforts” there could have been more fatalities.
Residents affected by the fire are being encouraged to seek help at a reception center at Dodge High School.
Engineers plan to evaluate the building’s structural stability as it remains at risk of further collapse.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
