A second-alarm fire at 279 Swinton Ave. in Throggs Neck displaced six adults and a child on Sunday evening and left one person injured. The blaze broke out just after 6:30 p.m. and firefighters brought it under control roughly an hour later, according to News 12.
Neighbor Eddy Sosa told News 12 New York that he first saw a small fire on a garbage can beneath the wooden porch before the deck and side of the house caught fire.
What the Fire Code Covers
The FDNY says the New York City Fire Code covers the storage, handling and use of combustible materials. That general description does not establish whether keeping garbage beneath a residential porch violated a rule at the Swinton Avenue home.
Second Alarm, More Than 140 Responders
The fire escalated to a second alarm just over 15 minutes after crews arrived, according to bronx.news12.com, which reported that the FDNY sent 141 fire and EMS personnel to the scene. Firefighters had the blaze under control just after 7:45 p.m., the outlet reported, citing the FDNY. One person suffered moderate injuries and was rushed to Jacobi Hospital by paramedics, per the same account.
The family displaced by the fire includes six adults and one child. The American Red Cross is providing them with temporary housing and financial assistance, according to News 12 New York.
A Familiar Pattern in Throggs Neck
Sunday's fire adds to a string of serious blazes that have hit the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx this year. A two-alarm fire tore through a home at 840 Dean Street in the early hours of Jan. 28, injuring two civilians and two firefighters, none seriously, according to Norwood News. That same morning, more than 140 firefighters responded to a separate two-alarm fire near Shore Drive and Lafayette Avenue just before 2 a.m., as reported by CBS News New York.
A three-alarm fire also ripped through three homes in Throggs Neck in 2020, injuring two firefighters and a resident, according to the Bronx Times. In April, a house fire on Harding Avenue in the same neighborhood escalated to a second alarm and left one person with minor injuries, as reported by News 12.
The cause of Sunday's fire on Swinton Avenue remains under investigation. The FDNY generates incident reports for fires within New York City, though the department does not maintain records for blazes occurring outside the five boroughs, according to guidance published by NYC311.
