By SÍLE MOLONEY

FIREFIGHTERS ARE SEEN still working at the site of a 5-alarm fire at 660 East 187th Street in the Belmont section of The Bronx at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Photo by Síle Moloney

Following the deadly 5-alarm fire in the Belmont section of The Bronx on Tuesday afternoon, April 21, as reported, that resulted in the deaths of two people and injury to 11 others, Norwood News spoke to some shocked bystanders and residents on the day of the fire to obtain their reaction.

 

As reported, an FDNY spokesperson said the department received a 911 call at 1.32 p.m. on Tuesday for a report of fire / smoke at 660 East 187th Street, a 5-story, non-fire-proofed, multiple dwelling (50×75) which is around 100 years old and is located between Belmont Avenue and Cambreleng Avenue.

DEBRIS FROM 660 East 187th Street in the Belmont section of The Bronx is seen on the sidewalk after a fire broke out in the multi-purpose building on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Photo by Síle Moloney

The American Red Cross later said it had registered 23 households, including 24 children and 53 adults (77 total), for emergency assistance such as temporary lodging, disaster health services, and other recovery support following the fire. They said the reception center at Crotona International High School is now closed, and any residents who need help with their recovery who have not already connected with the Red Cross should call 1-877-RED CROSS (877-733-2767) and select Option 1.

 

Meanwhile, NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) has put a Full Vacate Order in place at the building. Read our initial story on the fire in full here. Response operations continued well into Tuesday night.

DEBRIS FROM 660 East 187th Street in the Belmont section of The Bronx is seen on the sidewalk after a fire broke out in the multi-purpose building on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Photo by Síle Moloney

Speaking in Spanish, one local female resident, who declined to be identified and who was standing on the corner of Cambreleng Avenue and East 187th Street on Tuesday evening with other women and some children, observing the ongoing operations by emergency personnel, said the fire had indeed broken out at around 1.30 p.m. Asked if she lived in the affected building, gesturing, she said she did not but lived nearby.

 

In reference to the impacted, displaced residents, she said, “They’ll send them to a hotel, the poor people.” Asked if she had seen anyone injured or trying to escape the fire, the woman said, “Oh we didn’t see that, Mami, but people are saying there are two people dead and that they sent one child to the hospital.” Norwood News has no description of the injured due to HIPPA regulations.

FIREFIGHTERS ARE SEEN still working at the site of a 5-alarm fire at 660 East 187th Street in the Belmont section of The Bronx at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Pictured is the rear of the building. 
Photo by Síle Moloney

The woman added, “We are known [to the impacted residents of the affected fire building]” she said. “We go to the same church as them over there. They are our neighbors, countrymen, Mexicans.” Asked if it had been a frightening experience for local children, she said, “Yes, for everyone because there were many people crying and choking [on the smoke].”

 

Eugene Phayre, a bystander, who used to live in Norwood but now lives in Albany, happened to be just visiting Little Italy on the day of the fire on his way to the Botanical Gardens, along with his brother Dennis, and told Norwood News, “We were just walking on Arthur Avenue and we started to smell smoke, and then we could see it up in the air and we started to move in the direction of where the smoke was coming from.”

FIREFIGHTERS ARE SEEN still working at the site of a 5-alarm fire at 660 East 187th Street in the Belmont section of The Bronx at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Pictured is the front of the building (behind the trees). 
Photo by Síle Moloney

He continued, “Just as we arrived at the building, engines were just already starting on the scene, but the fire was very heavily involved and a lot of smoke and there were people trapped on the fire escapes. They had a difficult time rescuing one woman who was quite large and she was on a peculiar spot on the fire escape and they had a difficult time getting the fire truck to rescue her off the fire escape.”

 

Asked what age the woman was approximately, Eugene said, “I would say she was in her mid-forties. Asked if she was alone, he said, “Ah she was with a daughter. The daughter was quite hysterical worrying about her mom.” Asked what age was her daughter, Eugene replied, “The daughter I would say was about 25 approximately, but the fire department did finally…were able to get a truck aligned and they had to break part of a tree to get the bucket in and then they had to lift her.”

RESIDENTS TRY TO escape from a fire in their building at 660 East 187th Street in the Belmont section of The Bronx on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. 
Photo by Dennis Phayre

He added, “I think it took four or five firemen to get her into the bucket and then they got her onto the ground. It was a very heavily involved fire. I’ve seen fires in the past but I’ve never seen one this bad.” Eugene agreed it had been very frightening. Denis said, “We got there when the first fire trucks just arrived so we saw people coming out windows.”

 

Dennis said they eventually stayed two and half hours just taking in the whole fire and rescue. “Then we went to Botanical Gardens and you could smell the fire all the way up there; that’s how intense it was,” he said. “The smoke, [it] was unbelievable how much smoke there was and how many trucks came. I’ve never seen such a contingent of firefighters at one time so it was pretty intense. I heard at least two people have passed and several people injured and some firefighters as well.”

THE AFTERMATH OF 5-alarm fire at 660 East 187th St., Belmont, Bronx Tuesday, April 21, 2026 V1 Video by Síle Moloney

Dennis continued, “I just feel bad for all these people. I, myself, at one time, was involved in a fire, myself, and it’s not a pleasant thing to lose your possessions and unfortunately, they’re all homeless now. They’ve nowhere to go. They’ve lost everything. It’s really hard to watch.” We mentioned that the Red Cross usually provides temporary emergency accommodation.

AFTERMATH OF 5-ALARM fire at 660 East 187th St., Belmont, Bronx Tuesday, April 21, 2026 V2 Video by Síle Moloney

“One thing I’ve always said and I don’t know why in New York City the City Council doesn’t require renters to carry renters’ insurance,” Eugene said. “The reason for that is if you lose your possessions, they cover a large percentage of it and they will put you up in a residence until you find permanent housing. The city does not do that. The Red Cross comes in, you get two weeks and then you’re on your own.” Denis later said he saw flames shooting out of a fourth-floor front apartment window at one point.

THE AFTERMATH OF a 5-alarm fire at 660 East 187th St., Belmont, Bronx Tuesday, April 21, 2026 V3 Video by Síle Moloney

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who had been due to attend an event in the Concourse section of The Bronx on Tuesday evening but was unable to attend finally due to attending an earlier press conference at the scene of the fire, later described the blaze as tragic.

 

Later in the afternoon, she updated Bronxites on the situation, saying, “Emergency personnel remain on site and are assisting tenants who have been impacted. The following street closures are in effect: East 187th Street from Belmont Avenue to Beaumont Avenue, and Crescent Avenue from Hughes Avenue to Cambreleng Avenue. This is currently ongoing, and we are closely monitoring the situation for further updates. Thank you to the FDNY, NYPD, EMS, NYCEM, SBS, and all emergency personnel for their swift and dedicated response.”

THE AFTERMATH OF a 5-alarm fire at 660 East 187th St., Belmont, Bronx Tuesday, April 21, 2026 V4 Video by Síle Moloney

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape.”