A massive fire tore through a row of stores and an apartment building in the Bronx overnight, bubbling a virtual inferno into the dark sky but causing no serious injuries.
The fire broke out at a one-story taxpayer building — a small, cheaply built building to cover the owner’s property taxes — on Prospect Avenue in Longwood around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the FDNY.
It was fully involved in flames by the time crews arrived. Ultimately, more than 200 fire and EMS personnel responded. The FDNY says one civilian was evaluated at the scene for a minor injury.
The FDNY posted a dramatic aerial photo of the scene on X.
The building appeared to be part of a row of businesses, some of which were damaged in the fire.
Witnesses described the chaos.
“You see people just running from all over,” recounted Maylani Napoles. “You see people in the building, waving their hands out the window, trying to catch somebody’s attention — everything.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.