A five-alarm fire ripped through an apartment building on East 209th Street in the Norwood section of the Bronx on Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least 11 people injured. The blaze broke out around 2:30 p.m. in a five-story building and was still raging hours later, with thick smoke pouring from the upper floors. Firefighters remained on the scene battling the flames, and officials said crews expected to stay through the night to make sure the fire was fully extinguished.
Fire officials said the fire started on the second floor, and that firefighters were immediately met with heavy fire when they arrived. Residents nearby said they heard a big boom and that it felt like an earthquake, with several describing the sound as an explosion. Hours into the response, the fire was still not under control, and the smoke made it difficult to breathe in the surrounding area.
Emergency officials said 11 people were hurt in total, seven of them civilians and four of them firefighters who were transported to local hospitals. Of the civilian victims, three were classified as serious, including two adults who were critical patients and one child, whom crews up-triaged and treated as serious as a precaution. One of the critically injured was a 48-year-old woman rushed to Jacobi Hospital, while five other people suffered minor injuries.
The man who lives next door to the unit where the explosion is said to have originated described being caught in the blast. He said the boom caused the ceiling to collapse and strike him in the head, and that he then helped the woman who lives in that apartment get downstairs to safety. When he went back inside to check whether she had any pets, he said her kitchen was already up in flames, and that the woman was unresponsive and appeared to be in shock, unable to speak.
The cause of the fire had not been established. The initial call came in as a lithium-ion battery fire and an explosion, but officials stressed that had not been confirmed by investigators. Residents said they had reported the smell of gas for about a month, both to the landlord and to the city. Fire officials confirmed there had been an explosion but said the origin would not be known until fire marshals complete a full investigation.
With 27 apartments in the building, the fire forced a large number of people from their homes. Officials said 18 people had been displaced, and the Red Cross was on the scene assisting them. New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell said her operations staff had been on site for hours coordinating between agencies, and that a nearby school had been opened as a reception center where residents could get help with shelter and other needs, with those unable to reach the scene urged to call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Chief Stacy Scanlon, the deputy assistant chief and Bronx borough commander for EMS, said rescue paramedics had made a heroic effort to meet firefighters inside the burning building and bring a patient out, administering life-saving medication and assisting with transport to the hospital. Officials described the response as a huge and very dangerous assignment, and said more information would emerge as the investigation moved forward and fire marshals were able to get inside.