Dozens of Mott Haven residents were forced out of their homes on Easter Sunday after a four-alarm fire ripped through the top floor of a six-story apartment building at 345 Cypress Ave., injuring five people—including two firefighters—and heavily damaging multiple units.
The FDNY arrived on the scene just after 2:20 p.m. on April 20 to find flames engulfing a top-floor apartment. Within minutes, FDNY crews discovered that the fire had spread rapidly through the cockloft—a concealed space between the ceiling and roof—prompting a third alarm at 2:35 p.m. and a fourth alarm soon after.
More than 170 firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene. Crews used five hoselines to knock down the main body of fire as it spread along the roofline. The blaze was eventually brought under control, though four apartments on the sixth floor were left with significant fire damage.
“I was walking my dog, Benjamin, and I started hearing sirens,” said nearby resident Kathy Santiago. “I looked to the left and there was smoke pouring from the roof area.”
The FDNY said three civilians and two firefighters suffered minor injuries and were either treated at the scene or transported to local hospitals. All are expected to recover.
Searches conducted throughout the building yielded no trapped occupants, officials said.
Sunday’s incident marked the sixth multiple-alarm fire in the city over the weekend. The FDNY Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause and origin of the blaze.
