Bravest have tough challenge of dousing four-alarm inferno that erupted on top floor of Bronx apartment building early Thursday. The raging blaze, which was ruled accidental, hurt three kids.
Towering flames exploded from the roof of a Bronx apartment building early Thursday in a four-alarm blaze that injured three children and left more than 200 people homeless.
The raging fire engulfed the top floor of 1998 Newbold Ave., and smoke filled the six-story structure, forcing tenants to race outside just after 1 a.m.
“I saw a stampede coming down the stairs and didn’t know what was going on,” said Walter Calle, who lives in the Parkchester building. “Things were really crazy, really dramatic.”
Firefighters and a few courageous residents ran through the building to alert sleeping neighbors and pull people away from the flames and choking smoke.
“The flames were rolling over our heads,” said Firefighter Bill Horel of Ladder 47. “I found three children huddled under a window trying to get air.”
Investigators believe the fire, which was ruled accidental, ignited in an overloaded surge protector in the hurt children’s apartment, an FDNY source said. The Red Cross provided temporary shelter for the building’s residents.
A string of Christmas lights sparked a fire in a Bronx apartment building Sunday that led to 26 injuries, including one that was life-threatening, firefighters said.
The fire began at 6:20 p.m. in an eighth-floor apartment of the 21-story Bronx Park East housing development in Bronxdale and quickly filled the building with smoke, said Annie Kalaj, 35, who lives in the apartment.
“My daughter said there’s a fire in her room from the Christmas decorations,” she said. “I called 911, grabbed the kids and ran out.”
Eleven firefighters and 14 residents suffered minor injuries, mostly from smoke inhalation, fire officials said. One person was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in critical condition.
It was unclear what caused the critical victim’s injuries.
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