2 killed in pair of overnight NYC fires, 3 blocks apart: officials
Two people were killed when a pair of weekend fires erupted within about three blocks of each other in the Bronx, officials said.
The first blaze broke out on the second floor of a five-story apartment building on Elder Avenue near Westchester Avenue in Soundview around 8:15 p.m. Saturday, according to fire officials.
One woman was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where she died.
Three other people were hospitalized at Lincoln Medical Center for smoke inhalation, cops said.
The fire quickly escalated to two alarms, drawing 106 firefighters from 25 units.
The blaze was placed under control shortly after 9 p.m., and the cause of the flames remained under investigation Sunday afternoon.
Another deadly fire erupted at 12:35 a.m. on Sunday inside a private home on Colgate Avenue near Westchester Avenue, also in Soundview, the FDNY said.
A 50-year-old man was removed from the home and rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Two NYPD officers were taken to the same hospital, where they were listed in stable condition and treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire reached three alarms at its peak, with 138 firefighters from 33 units fighting the inferno.
The second fire was placed under control at 2 a.m., and fire marshals were still investigating the cause on Sunday.
A third, non-fatal, fire ripped through an eight-story apartment building on Morgan Avenue near Withers Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Sunday afternoon, the fire department said.
Smokeaters responded to a report of fire on the fourth floor of the building around 12:45 p.m., and discovered the flames on the fifth floor, according to the FDNY.
Three people were taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center in unknown condition. There were no fatalities reported.
A lithium-ion battery – used to power electric bikes and scooters – was found on the scene, but officials have yet to confirm whether the device was to blame for the fire.
The cause of the fire, which was placed under control at 1:35 p.m., remains under investigation.
The blaze drew 20 FDNY units to the scene, with 75 members responding in total.
City officials have desperately attempted to crack down on the charging devices, which FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh previously called “ticking time bombs.”
Earlier this month, one of the batteries sparked a fire that killed a 39-year-old man and injured six other people at a NYCHA apartment building in the Bronx, authorities said.
