A Bronx resident died Wednesday morning in a two-alarm fire while another man was hospitalized after he reportedly leaped from the burning building to the street below.
FDNY
A Bronx resident died Wednesday morning in a two-alarm fire while another man was hospitalized after he reportedly leaped from the burning building to the street below.
According to police and FDNY sources, the blaze erupted inside of a six-story apartment building located at 1484 Montgomery Avenue at around 7:45 a.m. According to FDNY Deputy Chief Andrew Holzmaier, the fire swiftly spread to nearby apartments and even to the roof.
Police sources report that officers on scene found a 31-year-old man suffering from sustained burns and other injuries after falling from an apartment above. The FDNY later determined that he had jumped from a window in an attempt to escape the blaze.
“When units arrived, there was one civilian on the sidewalk who they said had jumped out the window to escape the flames,” Holzmaier said.
He was rushed to Jacobi Hospital in critical but stable condition, police said. He was not the only one injured, however. FDNY officials report that as the inferno raged at least 10 others were also injured. After the fire was quelled, first responders discovered an unidentified adult unconscious and unresponsive. They were pronounced dead by EMS on scene. Four firefighters were also injured tackling the blaze.
Officials believe the fire spread so fast due to electrical wiring in a bathroom.
“Most of the extension came from common bathroom wet walls, where pipes and electric run through; that was mostly the extension of the fire into adjoining and above apartments,” Holzmaier added.
The FDNY also later stated that a vehicle blocking a fire hydrant also hindered the response.
“The FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention issued several summonses totaling $4,000 and towed a vehicle that was blocking a fire hydrant in front of the fire building. Blocking fire hydrants delays firefighters from getting water on a fire. It is dangerous and ILLEGAL,” the FDNY wrote in a social media post.
Fire marshals will determine the cause of the blaze.
The FDNY also later stated that a vehicle blocking a fire hydrant also hindered the response. FDNY