Eight people – including seven firefighters – have been taken to hospital after a building caught fire and its roof collapsed in the Bronx.
The New York City Fire Department confirmed it was called to Castle Avenue in New York just after 2pm local time on Monday, July 24.
Firefighters say there was a “heavy fire” in both 1101 and 1103 Castle Avenue. The FDNY says it used a large number of firefighters – around 140 – due to the extreme heat sweeping the United States.
They say the four-alarm call means 40 fire engines were sent to the scene. Images from the scene also show water stations were set up for those tackling the blaze.
FDNY Chief of Operations John Esposito, said: “A little bit after two o’clock this afternoon, one of our EMS Ambulance units was alerted to a fire.
“They notified Fire Operations and we arrived on scene within three minutes. We had fire in 1103 and 1101 Castle Hill Avenue.
“We believe the fire may have originated in 1103 and extended to 1101, up to the top floor. We had heavy fire in both buildings and through the roof.
“Initially our units conducted operations inside the building in 1101; the roof started to sag. We had a partial collapse. We withdrew units off the roof. It is a very hot day today. We used a lot of units.
“On hot days we want to be aware and careful of our members and their safety so we tend to relieve them earlier. We are at a 4th alarm which is about 40 units and 170 Firefighters.”
Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph Pataky added: “Right now our patient count is at eight. We have seven Firefighters and one civilian all with non-life-threatening injuries. They have been transported to local hospitals.”
