Firefighters have brought a four-alarm fire at a Washington Heights apartment building under control.
As WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond reported, more than 160 firefighters battled the blaze.
Nine firefighters and two residents were injured, CBS 2 reported.
The fire appears to have started in a 99-cent store on the first floor of a building at 174th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue around 10:30 a.m. Monday. It quickly spread to the second floor of the six-story building.
“All of a sudden, flames started coming out of the window at the front of the 99-cent store,” witness Michael Colletti told CBS 2′s Tamara Leitner. “The next thing you know there was thousands of firemen.”
Fire officials said flames spread quickly.
“This type of construction enables that,” Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Saccente told Diamond. “There’s a lot of void where heat and fire could spread throughout the building to remote locations.”
Investigators have not yet determined how the fire started.
The smoke spread all the way to the top floor of the building. Three apartments were destroyed, and many more suffered smoke damage.
“My heart wants to come out,” a woman who lives on the sixth floor told Diamond. “I’m like shaking, it’s horrible, horrible.”
Footage from the scene showed smoke billowing from the central courtyard of the building. Three tower ladders extended up from the street and firefighters were pacing the roof of the building.
Related articles
- Techniques and Dangers of Wildland Firefighting (forestry.answers.com)
- Fire department: 8 people sent to hospitals after fire in New York City’s Chinatown, including a firefighter; 3 in serious condition – @AP (bigstory.ap.org)
Become a Harlem Insider!
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
