A fire tore through the eighth floor of a city-run high-rise in East Harlem early Monday, injuring three people including a child who were pulled from the building with non-life-threatening injuries. The blaze broke out around 2:45 a.m. at the East River Houses on East 105th Street, sending firefighters racing to the scene before dawn.
The woman, man and child were treated for their injuries and are expected to recover, according to ABC7 New York, which first reported the incident. Firefighters responded to the building and worked to bring the flames under control, the station reported, though further details on the fire's cause, the exact apartment involved, and whether residents were displaced were not immediately available.
A Building With a History of Fires
This is not the first time the East River Houses complex has made headlines for a fire. A separate blaze at the development injured two people on a Thursday afternoon, according to an FDNY spokesman cited by patch.com, which reported that fire broke out on the sixth floor of the same 10-story building on East 105th Street between First Avenue and the FDR Drive.
In that earlier incident, one person suffered serious injuries and was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital in stable condition, while the other was treated at the scene for minor injuries, per the same account. Firefighters responded shortly after 1 p.m. and had that fire under control by 1:38 p.m., with 20 fire units and about 70 emergency personnel operating at the scene.
A Fatal Fire in 2021
The East River Houses complex was also the site of a fatal fire in September 2021. At least one person died after a blaze broke out at the New York City Housing Authority building, according to PIX11, which reported that authorities were called to a kitchen fire in an apartment along 105th Street near the FDR Drive.
About 20 FDNY units and 80 firefighters responded to the 10-story building that day, and the fire was declared under control by 5:12 p.m., PIX11 reported. An 18-year-old man, identified as Jamel Martinez, was pronounced dead at the scene after falling from an elevated location.
No official statement from NYCHA or the FDNY on Monday's fire has been made public, and the cause remains unclear. The three people injured in the latest blaze are expected to recover, according to the original report.
