“I woke up this morning, and I heard my neighbor screaming,” said Unkee Valentin, of Morris Heights. “I opened up the window to see what was going on, and he threw himself out the window. I saw a lot of black smoke! I ran into my kids’ room and the room was filled with smoke, so I told my kids to get out!”
Valentin lives two floors above a fourth-floor apartment where firefighters responded around 8 a.m. Wednesday to a two-alarm blaze that the FDNY said extended to several other apartments.
“Upon arrival, units were met with heavy fire conditions,” said FDNY Deputy Chief Andrew Holzmaier. “Units made an aggressive interior attack, but during the course of the fire, the fire spread to an adjoining apartment, two apartments above, and into the cockloft space, which is the area between the top floor ceiling and roof.”
Fire officials say at least 11 people were hurt.
One civilian was pronounced dead at the scene, while another was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after officials said he jumped out of a window to escape the flames.
The FDNY also said four firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
While the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, fire officials said the windy conditions Wednesday didn’t help matters.
“With all the windows and doors open,” Holzmaier said, “there is a significant wind condition moving from the rear of the building to the front, so it is possible that the wind assisted in spreading some of the fire.”
And while the fire was quickly placed under control, it will take some residents an unknown amount of time to get their lives back on track.
“For now, we can’t go back until we fix the apartment,” said Valentin, “so we’re just going to deal with the Red Cross.”
Officials with the American Red Cross tell NY1 that three dozen displaced residents, including more than 20 children, have so far registered with them for help with shelter and short-term assistance.