A five-alarm fire that tore through a Bronx apartment building early Thursday left one person dead and four firefighters with minor injuries, the FDNY said.<\/p>\n
The fire was reported around 5:30 a.m. at a five-story apartment on East 184th Street, between Bassford and Bathgate avenues, in the Belmont section of the borough, the department said.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
A five-alarm fire in a Bronx apartment building left one person dead, the FDNY said
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Four firefighters suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries, according to the department
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The fire caused heavy damage, including a roof collapse into the top floor
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More than 280 FDNY and EMS personnel responded and the cause remains under investigation<\/p>\n
Firefighters arrived within minutes to find heavy fire on the top floor that extended through the roof, according to FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods.<\/p>\n
Woods said getting the fire under control was difficult, as flames in the cockloft space, an area above the top-floor ceiling and below the roofline, were difficult to access.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe moved in with multiple hand lines \u2014 five hand lines \u2014 to the top floor, edge of the roof area and also used exterior streams from our tower ladders,\u201d Woods said.<\/p>\n
The blaze escalated quickly, reaching a fifth alarm just before 7:30 a.m. More than 280 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene, according to Woods.<\/p>\n
Woods said one person was found dead in the apartment where the fire started.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a fire victim in the original fire apartment,\u201d he said. \u201cAll other occupants of the building are not injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and minor sprains, and were taken to area hospitals, Woods added.<\/p>\n
The building sustained significant damage, including a partial roof collapse into the top floor, according to the FDNY.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the scene of the fire late Thursday morning.<\/p>\n