A West Harlem co-op fire eventually required the efforts of 170 firefighters to extinguish as it spread through the West 113th St. building 's second, third, and fourth floors. Despite the fast-moving flames, three sisters and their 34-year-old father were rescued from the fifth floor of the building before they were overcome by smoke.
According to the Daily News, 8-year-old Tanesha Spaulding told her father Lenny that she smelled smoke. Opening the front door of their apartment, Spaulding was confronted with a hallway filled with black smoke, so he pushed a wet towel against the bottom of the door to stop the smoke, dressed his daughters for the freezing weather, and huddled them at the front of the building. Three firefighters used a cherry picker to break in the bedroom window and pluck the family to safety. Overall, 20 families managed to escape the building and 10 people were rescued by the FDNY.
Considering the high turnout at the 4-alarm fire, only six firefighters needed to be treated for minor injuries. Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire. Two other residential fires killed four people and injured three others just this weekend. The FDNY has information featuring fire safety guidelines for New Yorkers.
