A late-morning blaze turned a quiet Yonkers block into a scramble for survival on Saturday, as a fast-moving fire tore through a multi-family building at Yonkers Avenue and Walnut Street just after 10 a.m., forcing more than a dozen residents from their homes across six families. “I saw smoke in the kitchen and rushed to get everyone out safely,” resident Marcos said, as firefighters moved quickly and used a bucket truck to bring one person down from the fourth floor.
Officials told News 12 that the fire started on the second floor and sent heavy smoke racing through the building. Yonkers firefighters arrived within minutes to find flames pushing from a second-floor window, and crews managed to keep the blaze largely contained, with some fire extending to the third floor. One firefighter was taken to a hospital with injuries that had not been disclosed as of Saturday afternoon, and no civilian injuries were reported. Investigators were still working to determine how the fire began, while the American Red Cross stepped in to help the displaced residents.
City response and department resources
City officials and Yonkers fire crews are coordinating emergency shelter and safety checks while inspectors review each apartment to decide whether it is still safe to live in. The city has touted recent investments in firefighter safety and training, including rolling out handheld thermal-imaging cameras to front-line crews, according to the City of Yonkers. Last year, the department also secured an $887,061 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant to fund advanced hazardous-materials and operations training, as detailed by the City of Yonkers.
A familiar strain on shelters
Saturday’s blaze is the latest in a string of Yonkers and Westchester multi-family fires that have displaced dozens of households and put pressure on shelter resources. In January, a four-alarm fire on School Street damaged multiple buildings and left neighboring structures battered and dozens of residents temporarily homeless, an incident covered by News 12.
By Saturday evening, investigators had not released a cause for the latest fire, and city officials said further updates would follow once building-safety checks and the formal probe are complete. Neighbors expressed relief that everyone made it out, but for the families suddenly without homes, the focus now shifts to temporary housing and basic necessities as relief groups and the city work to piece together a short-term plan.
