Early morning fire breaks out at two vacant Highbridge buildings

A four-alarm fire destroyed a pair of vacant wood-frame buildings in the Highbridge section of the Bronx early Wednesday morning.

At around 11:11 p.m. on March 21, FDNY personnel arrived at a heavy fire at 1043 Ogden Ave., both of which were marked with an X to indicate dangerous conditions in the vacant buildings. The fire escalated to a four-alarm fire by 1:52 a.m. on March 22, with the fire spreading to 1041 Ogden Avenue in the process.

FDNY deployed 40 units with 180 personnel to the scene and utilized five hoses and two tower ladders to knock down the main body of the fire.

Firefighters battled a four alarm fire in a pair of vacant wood-framed buildings at 1041-1043 Ogden Ave. on Wednesday, March, 22, 2023. Photo Lloyd Mitchell

Firefighters operated two ladders and five hose lines to knock down heavy fire in two wood-frame vacant buildings. Photo Lloyd Mitchell

The fire was placed under control at around 3:30 a.m. There were no reported injuries, however, the incident briefly displaced numerous residents and pets from their apartment building as heavy smoke filled the air.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the FDNY Fire Marshal’s office. Fire marshals went door to door looking for any camera footage regarding the incident.

The blazes happened just about three blocks down the street from another pair of fires earlier this month, which first responders and community members have said underscore traffic and accessibility issues.