Yesterday, a fire broke out on the 5th floor of a 27-story apartment building in the Bronx—and now the FDNY says a child may have started it.
The fire started at 7:40 a.m. in the East 149th Street building in the Bronx's Melrose section, and it quickly spread. Over 130 firefighters fought the blaze. FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Jack Mooney said, "When we opened the door to put the fire out, it just fills the building up -- the hallways, the stairs -- up with smoke." A resident on the 22nd floor who suffers from asthmas and needed to be assisted by firefighters said," Smoke was so thick... It was a trying time."
Twelve residents had to be carried down; 48 people, including firefighters, were injured, with five critically injured. WABC 7 reports, "Witnesses say a mother briefly dangled her two-year-old child out of a broken 21st floor window to try to get some fresh air." The Red Cross was on the scene, working with residents to get back into their apartments and provided food and cleanup kits to those who needed them.
It's suspected a child playing with a cigarette lighter started the fire.
