One person died and 10 others were injured Wednesday morning after a fire tore through a six-story apartment building in the Bronx’s Morris Heights neighborhood, FDNY officials said.
Bronx dispatchers first received calls about the fire around 7:45 a.m. on Montgomery Avenue, FDNY Deputy Chief Andrew Holzmaier said at a briefing outside the building.
“Units made an aggressive interior attack, but during the course of the fire, the fire spread to an adjoining apartment, two apartments above,” Holzmaier said. The fire also reached the space between the top-floor ceiling and the roof, he said.
Seven residents and four firefighters were hurt, officials said. One resident died, while another is in critical condition after trying to escape the fire, according to officials.
“When units arrived, there was one civilian on the sidewalk who they said had jumped out the window to escape the flames,” Holzmaier said. Officials did not say if that person is the one in critical condition.
The four firefighters had noncritical injuries, according to EMS Division Chief Mark O’Neill. Everyone who was hurt was taken to area hospitals.
The door to the apartment where the fire started was closed when firefighters arrived, Holzmaier said. Most of the fire spread through shared bathroom walls, where pipes and electrical lines run between apartments. Holzmaier added that wind may also have helped it along.
“With all the windows and doors open, there is a significant wind condition that’s moving from the rear of the building towards the front,” Holzmaier said. “So it is possible that the wind assisted in spreading some of the fire.”
About 46 fire and EMS units and 140 firefighters and EMS workers responded. The fire is under control, and a unit will stay at the scene to watch for flare-ups, officials said.
The fire’s cause is still undetermined, officials said. The FDNY has not released the name of the person who died.