A two-alarm fire broke out this morning within an Upper Manhattan apartment building, leading to more than a dozen injuries, including two firefighters. The fire reportedly began at approximately 8:24 a.m. in a building located on West 204th Street, as reported by Eyewitness News. The flames caused significant damage to at least two apartments and affected the entire building.
Efforts to fully get to control the blaze lasted until around 10 a.m., with more than 130 first responders arriving on the scene. As CBS News reported, some of the firefighters remained for hours afterwards to handle potential hotspots.
Among those injured in the disaster was one person who is in serious condition, while the majority suffered from smoke inhalation, as Deputy Chief Sean Murphy of the FDNY detailed in a statement obtained by Eyewitness News. "Originally we had about eight units on scene battling the fire. It escalated to a second alarm. We had multiple victims in there. heavy smoke and dangerous conditions throughout," Murphy said.
Resident Leonard Rzepnicki described the start of the fire to Eyewitness News, saying, "I heard these noises behind the radiator, little pops, then I pulled the bedstand out and it started smoking. And then the fire, I don't know how it got to the closet, it's all connected on the wires. The wires are about 100 years old."
A man in a wheelchair who lives in the building told CBS News, "It was very hot and smoky. I was down like this, knocking on doors and yelling, 'fire, fire, get out!'"
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and officials have not officially confirmed the origins of the blaze. However, there is speculation that the incident was due to electrical issues, as the resident who first noticed the fire pointed out the antiquity of the building's wiring. Forensic examination and analysis by fire marshals will work to definitively determine the source.
