Massive fire injures 4 FDNY firefighters at vacant building in Harlem
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- Neighbors have been left stunned by a massive fire that ripped through an abandoned Harlem apartment building.
The flames broke out around 9:00 Wednesday night. Overhead pictures that FDNY shared show a clear picture of what firefighters were up against.
Fire officials says the blaze was aggressive and had spread through all five floors of the building, even through the roof.
"Our units moved in very aggressively with multiple handlines to extinguish the fire. Due to the structural stability of this building, as it was vacant for many years and the amount of fire, we had to pull our members out of the building and got to an exterior fire attack," FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Nearly 180 members of the FDNY had to work against not only the flames but also a wintry mix rain, sleet, and snow that swept through the area overnight.
The five story building at west 139th Street between Lenox Avenue and Powell Boulevard has been vacant for a couple of years. An active community member says this block has a serious squatting issue.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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