2 killed, 11 injured in Bronx apartment building fire

Two people were killed and 11 others, including five firefighters, were injured when a fire tore through a five-story apartment building in the Bronx, according to FDNY officials. Firefighters rescued residents from windows and fire escapes.

The fire was reported at 1:32 p.m. on Tuesday at 660 East 187th Street, where officials said the building had stores on the first floor, two apartments behind the commercial space and six apartments on each floor above.

Deputy Assistant Chief Stacy Scanlon said two people were killed, two others were seriously injured, and nine more suffered minor injuries, including five firefighters and four civilians.

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the response brought more than 84 fire and EMS units, with over 270 fire and EMS personnel sent to the scene.

Chief of fire operations Kevin Woods said firefighters arrived to find heavy fire on the first floor of the non-fireproof building, which had commercial space on the ground level, two apartments behind the stores and six apartments on each of the upper floors.

Woods said engine companies pushed inside with multiple handlines and knocked down fire on the lower floors, but crews had to switch to exterior operations when they reached the top floor because of the amount of fire and the condition of the building.

Ladder companies carried out rescues from both the front and rear of the building, Woods said. He said one person trapped at a window without access to a fire escape was rescued by portable ladder.

Woods said the building is more than 100 years old, mostly made of wood and heavily damaged. He said there is a risk of further collapse.

The cause of the fire is unknown. FDNY fire marshals are investigating.