Bronx Apartment Building Fire Leaves At Least 6 Hurt
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- At least six people were hurt in a large fire overnight at an apartment building in the Bronx.
The blaze broke out around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday on the fifth floor of a building on Andrews Avenue and West Burnside Avenue in Morris Heights.
Fire officials said the flames quickly spread from apartment to apartment and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.
"Thankfully, my parents noticed a strange smell and they were the ones that actually woke me up," resident Ronnie Dukes told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "It started to get cloudy and as we went down the stairs, we were looking for my little sister. We found her -- she ended up being downstairs. Honestly, it was a hectic time as anybody would expect."
"The smoke alarm came on and the apartment was full of smoke," another resident told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck. "We rushed out and there was smoke all over. There was more smoke than flames."
The entire fifth floor was gutted by extensive smoke and water damage, according to fire officials.
Five people suffered minor injuries and one firefighter also hurt his leg.
According to the Red Cross, eight households were also displaced by the blaze. The Red Cross said it provided emergency housing to 10 people while the remaining families were able to relocate on their own.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
