Man killed, several others injured after fire rips through apartment building in the Bronx
MOUNT EDEN, the Bronx (WABC) -- A man was killed and several other people were injured after a massive fire ripped through an apartment building in the Bronx late Friday.
The fire began around 9:30 p.m. at a five-story building on Sherif S. Byrd Place between Jesup Avenue and Shakespeare Avenue in the Mount Eden section.
According to the FDNY, the fire was reported on the first floor. Video shows firefighters on scene as flames left a trail of debris, including scorched walls and busted windows. The fire was placed under control just before 11 p.m.
Upon arrival, fire units observed vehicles parked in front of the nearby fire hydrant, but this did not delay getting water on the fire, the FDNY said.
The FDNY reminds all residents that blocking a fire hydrant in New York City is illegal, and that cars will be towed and drivers will be criminally summonsed.
At least 10 people were injured in the blaze. According to the NYPD, an 85-year-old man died from injuries sustained in the fire.
Dozens of residents gathered outside the building as they waited for word on whether they could go back in.
Eyewitness News spoke with one man who lived next door to where the fire began. The man says he lives with two other people and they lost everything as a result of the fire. He says the Red Cross is helping him with a hotel.
Another woman who lives in the building described how she escaped with her family through the heavy smoke.
"Me, my sister and my grandma were inside, and all of a sudden I guess she looked outside and she saw in the hallway a bunch of smoke," she said. "She started screaming and my sister was sleeping, so I had woken up and I had tried to grab whatever I could."
The Red Cross says it is providing emergency housing and financial aid to at least six residents displaced by the fire. Residents who are still in need of help following the fire can contact the Red Cross by calling 1-877-733-2767 and selecting Option 1, according to the nonprofit organization.
Fire marshals are trying to determine the cause of the fire.
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