An overnight five-alarm fire at 2910 Wallace Ave. in the Williamsbridge neighborhood left five firefighters and two residents with non-life-threatening injuries. The blaze came less than a day after the Bronx memorialized 17 lives lost to the Jan. 9, 2022 Twin Parks fire.
FDNY was called to the scene to the six-story building around 1:45 a.m., where the massive fire had taken over the space between the underside of the roof and ceiling of the building’s top floor, called the cockloft, said Fire Chief John Esposito in a mayor’s press conference around 9 a.m.
The fire spanned the entire length and width of the building, which is about 200 feet wide and 100 feet deep, and destroyed all top-floor apartments while burning through the roof, he said.
Both the size of the blaze and windy conditions made it “extremely dangerous” for the 250 FDNY personnel at the scene, said Esposito.
“That’s a miracle” that no fatalities occurred, said fire commissioner Robert Tucker. “This was a very, very large fire.”
Zach Iscol, Commissioner for NYC Emergency Management, said several agencies began working overnight to take care of the numerous families displaced by the fire. The MTA deployed temporary warming buses, and P.S. 76 The Bennington School (900 Adee Avenue) opened as a reception center for those displaced. The Red Cross has registered 66 families, approximately 180 people, he said.
The CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater New York said the number of registered families is expected to increase as the day goes on.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson thanked those who fought the fire and helped the displaced. “We are so grateful that there are no fatalities in this particular fire, but we know that families are right now displaced and worried about where they will lay their heads at tonight,” she said. “We know that these fires are happening far too often across our city, and we will do our very best to make sure that we protect New Yorkers during their time of need.”
While the cause of fire remains under investigation, reporters at the press conference said they heard from residents that the building lacked adequate heat and that residents were using stoves and space heaters because their complaints to 311 went unheeded.
“We have not heard that, preliminarily,” Adams said, and instructed anyone without adequate heat in their building to report the complaint to 311.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
