Early Monday, a fast-moving three-alarm fire ripped through a six-floor walk-up apartment building in Inwood, Manhattan, killing three people and leaving more than a dozen injured. Neighbors and first responders described frantic rescues on fire escapes as crews fought to contain flames that raced up the building’s only interior stairwell.
As reported by CBS News New York, the blaze triggered a three-alarm response at the six-story building, and officials said 14 people were treated for injuries. The station’s video report described an early-morning emergency that brought multiple FDNY units rushing to the scene.
Firefighters’ account and on-scene rescue
According to WABC/ABC7 New York, firefighters arrived just after 12:35 a.m. to find residents trying to climb down fire escapes while flames had already spread through the building’s stairwell. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito told the station the fire extended from “the first floor in a public hall that was rapidly extending up the stairs,” and crews stretched hose lines up front and rear fire escapes while conducting rescues. ABC7 reported that five people were in critical condition, several others suffered non-life-threatening injuries and one firefighter was hurt; the station said the blaze incinerated eight apartments and left roughly 100 residents displaced.
Where this fits in recent city fires
The Inwood tragedy comes on the heels of other fatal, multi-alarm apartment blazes in the city this year. A wind-driven four-alarm fire in Flushing on March 16 killed three people and injured others, according to Firehouse Digest, underscoring how quickly flames can engulf older multiunit buildings.
Per ABC7, the cause of the Inwood fire remains under investigation, and the FDNY said it will provide updates when available. Officials said investigators will continue interviewing residents and reviewing the scene as they work to determine what sparked the blaze.
