A deadly blaze in the Bronx claimed the life of an 85-year-old man and injured nine others last night. According to ABC7NY, the fire started around 9:30 p.m. at a five-story apartment building on Sherif S. Byrd Place, with firefighters battling the flames until the situation was under control just before 11 p.m. Video from the scene showed firefighters amid the charred remnants of the building which included blackened walls and broken windows, the city's firefighters working to contain the blaze into the early hours.
The 85-year-old victim, as recounted by neighbors to CBS News, was a beloved veteran; Christina Woo, a neighbor, described him as "very sweet" and shared the moment when he was found unresponsive, adding "He wasn't breathing and they were trying to resuscitate him." Among the injured, officials have reported one person in critical condition and two others, aged 45 and 70, in stable condition at the hospital. Despite the efforts of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), dozens of residents were required to leave their homes due to the incident. According to the Red Cross, at least six displaced individuals are receiving emergency housing and financial assistance.
Tenants recounted the sudden moments as the fire engulfed their homes; a resident described the escape to ABC7NY saying, "Me, my sister and my grandma were inside, and all of a sudden I guess she looked outside and she saw in the hallway a bunch of smoke." Similar accounts of panic and fear were shared with CBS News, where a female tenant explained the dense smoke made it nearly impossible to navigate the building: "There was smoke everywhere and, as I was going downstairs it got progressively worse, each floor I got down to. And by the second floor, I couldn't see anything."
The cause of the Bronx fire remains undetermined, while investigations continue, this following another incident where a fire in Baldwin, Long Island, displaced about 200 people; authorities have attributed that incident to electrical malfunction and have ruled out any suspicion. Affected individuals are encouraged to reach out to the Red Cross for assistance by calling 1-877-733-2767 and selecting Option 1.
