The flames broke out just after 5:30 a.m. Thursday inside the building on East 184th Street in the Belmont section.
Fire quickly engulfed the top floor of the building. Flames could be seen shooting through the roof and a section of the parapet fell to the ground while still on fire.
One person who lived in the apartment where the fire started was killed and four firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Residents were evacuated from the entire building. More than 50 people were forced to leave everything behind.
Terrell Dixon and Marissa Brown got their two kids and dogs out, but while escaping, molten hot tar landed on Marissa and their 1-year-old Avery. They were treated for burns at a nearby hospital
"I'm pissed, somebody's got to be held responsible," Brown said.
Residents say they have complained many times over the years about different safety problems in the building and in 2021 the Department of Buildings issued a violation for deteriorating sections of the roof.
"The building condition was not safe at all," resident Keith Brown said. "Wild clothes were hanging on the fire escape, they're a fire hazard. They've been telling them to clean it up and nobody cleaned it up at all."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited residents who were being helped by the Red Cross at a nearby school. He says hotels will be provided and safety standards will be looked into.
"It is a very traumatic experience to have a fire happen at your home and then to want to feel safe again in that same home," Mamdani said. "It will take a little bit of time, and we are doing everything we can to make sure that those New Yorkers can get back there with the confidence that it is the safest place they can be."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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