Dramatic videos show a building on East 184th Street in the Belmont section on fire as the FDNY battles a five-alarm blaze -Credit:WABC
(WABC)
Firefighters are facing down a five-alarm apartment building fire in the Bronx in New York City.
A building on East 184th Street in the Belmont section caught on fire in the early hours, just after 5:30 a.m. FDNY trucks are surrounding 505 East 184th Street in the Bronx. Smoke and flames can be seen for blocks as residents are urged to avoid the area.
Residents of the building have been evacuated, according to reports. Four other firefighters were injured, and one fatality was reported in the apartment where the fire originated. Dramatic videos from the scene show the top floor on fire, with flames spreading through the roof.
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Corner apartments have fire escaping through the windows as the building’s decorative corner edge collapses.
The FDNY wrote on X, “E 184th Street & Bassford Ave, The Bronx. Expect smoke & traffic delays in the area. People nearby should avoid smoke and close windows.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation, in accordance with FDNY protocols.
A later update through a press conference with FDNY members revealed that numerous firefighters sustained injuries.
FDNY Chief of Operations, Kevin Woods, told reporters, “This morning at 5:30, we received a report of a fire at 505 East 184th Street here in the Bronx. Our units arrived in approximately 4 minutes. This building is a 5-story, non-fireproof multiple dwelling. Upon arrival, we had heavy fire on the top floor, in the cockloft and through the roof.”
“The cock loft space is a space above the top floor ceiling, and below the roof line,” Woods explained. Woods continued, “So it’s very difficult to access that fire. We moved in with multiple handlines, 5 handlines to the top floor, and to the roof area. Also used exterior streams from our tower ladders. You see them operating right now.
Videos showed flames pouring out of windows in this Bronx building before the sun came out this morning -Credit:FDNY/X
“We have 4 minor firefighter injuries, heat exhaustion, minor sprains. They are non-life-threatening, and we do have 1 fatality from the original fire department,” Woods confirmed, later saying the injuries consisted of “heat exhaustion and minor sprain.”
Though FDNY “found a fire victim in the original fire apartment. All other occupants of the building are not injured.”
Woods continued, “There was heavy damage to this building as you can hear and see behind me. The roof collapsed into the top floor. There was also extensive collapse of the cornice. The cornice is a decorative portion of the exterior wall. It is non-structural in nature, but we have to, we can only access it from the exterior. We had heavy fire in the cornice. That cornice did collapse and again you can see our members in operation at this time.”
A Bronx building fire is under investigation by the FDNY after four firefighters were injured and one resident killed -Credit:FDNY/X
The FDNY uses drone technology. “You can see the drone above us as well with the drone. We leverage our technology to enhance safety in the FDNY and they have thermal imaging cameras, which we can identify all the hotspots,” Woods said.
He added that, “at this point, It is under control.”
“We used over 280 firefighters and EMS personnel, and it’s under investigation right now by the fire marshal and we will maintain a presence throughout the day,” Woods concluded.
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