A basement fire tore through 2182 Barnes Avenue in Pelham Parkway around 4 p.m. Thursday, displacing multiple families and sending a firefighter to the hospital with minor injuries. No other injuries were reported. Now the American Red Cross is asking anyone who knows a displaced family to get in touch so it can help them find shelter and support.
According to News 12 Bronx, the Red Cross is actively searching for families impacted by the blaze and is urging anyone who knows someone displaced to call its helpline for assistance. Fire department dispatch records reviewed by NYCfire.net show FDNY units responded to Box 3227 at the address off Pelham Parkway South, where Battalion 20 declared an All Hands alert for a basement fire in the six-story building. Crews took 1 hour and 19 minutes to bring the flames under control.
Laundry Room Suspected as Point of Origin
Neighbors reporting on the incident through the Friends of Pelham Parkway Facebook page said the fire appeared to start in the building's basement laundry room, a detail fire marshals have not officially confirmed. Basement laundry facilities in multi-family buildings can pose heightened electrical and thermal risks, though the exact cause of Thursday's fire remains unresolved.
The building itself is no stranger to scrutiny. Property records on StreetEasy show 2182 Barnes Avenue is a six-story residential building constructed in 1930 with 71 individual apartment units. Municipal housing data compiled by Who Owns What indicates the property carried 142 open housing code violations on file as of 2026, underscoring a maintenance and code-compliance history that predates Thursday's fire.
Red Cross and City Housing Aid Available to Displaced Tenants
The Red Cross Greater New York Region runs the nation's largest urban disaster response program, according to the organization, responding to roughly 2,300 local emergencies each year — the vast majority of them home fires — and assisting more than 12,000 New Yorkers annually. Displaced residents seeking emergency shelter, financial support, or recovery case management can call the Red Cross helpline at 1-877-733-2767, per information distributed by RAP4Bronx.
Earlier this year, the Red Cross also ran its Sound the Alarm fire safety campaign across the region, installing 2,944 free smoke alarms in 830 homes; the organization says its teams responded to more than 1,700 home fires and emergencies across Greater New York between July 2025 and May 2026. Beyond the nonprofit's help, the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development operates an Emergency Housing Services division, reachable at 212-863-7660, to provide temporary shelter and relocation assistance to tenants who cannot safely return to fire-damaged apartments or who are displaced by vacate orders.
Injured Firefighter, No Other Reported Injuries
One firefighter was treated at a hospital for minor injuries sustained while battling the blaze, and no other injuries were reported, per News 12 Bronx's account. For serious trauma or burn cases in the area, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi on Pelham Parkway South serves as the Bronx's primary Level 1 Trauma Center and houses the only New York State-designated burn center serving the Bronx and southern Westchester County, as Hoodline has previously reported.
The fire adds to a rough stretch for the neighborhood. Friends of Pelham Parkway also flagged recurring subway station flooding near the Pelham Parkway transit station, which struck twice within the same month, leaving residents contending with both a residential emergency and transit disruptions in short order.
It remains unclear how many families will need long-term relocation help from the city versus short-term hotel placement through the Red Cross, and whether inspectors will issue any building-wide violations or vacate orders tied to the fire. For now, the Red Cross says its priority is simply identifying every family who lost their home Thursday so it can connect them with shelter and support.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
