A three-alarm fire ripped through the top floor of a six-story, 100-unit apartment building in the Bronx this morning.
Photos of the scene show flames emerging from the windows on the top floor of a residential building on Kappock Street in the Spuyten Duyvil section, where Fire Department officials said a fire was reported in a 6th-floor apartment shortly after 10 a.m. this morning. A firefighter sustained a non-life-threatening injury. There were no civilian injuries.
“The fire spread from the apartments into the cockloft – the space between the top floor and the roof – and we had heavy fire throughout the cockloft,” said Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Gala at a press conference at the scene. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
There was also a five-alarm fire on Monday afternoon in Staten Island that spread rapidly among six adjoining houses on Rensselaer Avenue in the Huguenot section, the FDNY said. Ten firefighters and one civilian suffered non-life-threatening injuries. More than 200 units responded to the scene, and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
On Monday, four people were found dead at four different fires around the city.
The FDNY said the coldest winter months can pose high risks for residential fires for several reasons.
In 2019, 66 civilians died in fires or related causes; the majority of these deaths were linked to electrical or cooking causes, the FDNY said. That death toll marked a 25% decrease from 2018, when 88 people died in NYC fires. The FDNY said there have been fewer than 100 fire-related deaths citywide for fourteen straight years.
The Fire Department is reminding New Yorkers to avoid using kerosene or propane space heaters, to put space heaters at least three feet away from flammable or combustible materials, and to monitor lit candles, among other safety tips.
