A three-alarm fire tore through a pair of attached six-story buildings in the Bronx early Thursday, sending heavy smoke over the neighborhood and drawing a large firefighting response. Despite the size of the blaze, no injuries were reported as crews worked to bring it under control.
The fire broke out around 6 o'clock in the morning at 3435 DeKalb Avenue in the Norwood section of the Bronx. Firefighters arrived to find flames in the connected structures, and the smoke was heavy enough to be visible across the surrounding area as the response ramped up.
At the center of the incident were two attached six-story buildings, a configuration that can allow fire to spread from one structure into the next. That layout made the firefight more complicated, as crews had to guard against the flames moving through the shared building line.
Fire crews managed to extinguish much of the fire coming from the roof of one of the buildings. But flames were still burning in the cockloft, the concealed space just below the roof, and appeared to be pushing up toward the top floor of the other building as firefighters continued their work at the scene.
Despite the intensity and the multiple alarms, no injuries were being reported as the operation continued. The three-alarm designation reflected the number of units called in to fight the fire, underscoring how serious the blaze was even without anyone being hurt.
The fire forced the closure of DeKalb Avenue, cutting off the street as emergency vehicles and crews filled the block. Officials warned that the roadway would remain shut while firefighters worked and the situation was brought fully under control.
The blaze also had a ripple effect on transit, with the scene sitting just north of the Mosholu Parkway station on the 4 train. Trains were still running but were seeing some delays through the area, and the cause of the fire remained under investigation as crews stayed on scene.