2 dead in Bronx fire, FDNY says parked car blocked closest hydrant
NEW YORK -- Two people were killed when a fire broke out Wednesday morning in the Bronx. The FDNY says a parked car blocked a fire hydrant and slowed down its response.
Firefighters were called to East 180th Street and Anthony Avenue in the Tremont section at around 6 a.m. as the fire burned through two buildings, including a Buddhist temple.
The FDNY said about 150 firefighters were called in to help as the flames grew.
Investigators said the two unidentified victims, a monk and a visitor, were on the second floor of the building next door to the temple. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, but later died.
A neighbor told CBS News New York he knew one of the victims.
"An old man. I knew him for a long time," Shafo Salim said. "He was a very nice man. He's always there to say hi to us."
The Red Cross helped six residents with a temporary place to stay.
According to the FDNY, the fire was caused by a space heater coming in contact with combustible materials. Fire officials are reminding the public that space heaters need space.
The Department of Buildings was on scene after visiting in December for an inspection, issuing three violations. Records show the DOB found the two buildings were connected by an interior passageway that was illegally created, and two rooms had been illegally constructed in the cellar of the temple. As a result, it had a partial vacate order.
Parked car blocking fire hydrant
Fire officials said a parked car blocked a hydrant, making it difficult to fight the fire. They put out a similar warning Sunday after another fatal fire in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
"We all know that we should not be parking on fire hydrants and when you park on fire hydrants it slows us down and when we're fighting a fire, seconds count," FDNY Chief John Esposito told reporters, adding the cold weather also slowed firefighters down a bit.
It is illegal to park within 15 feet on either side of a hydrant in the city, and tickets cost $115. Officials are asking residents to call 311 to report any blocked hydrants.
"When the hydrants are blocked, it does make it more difficult, it does slow us down a little bit. Our firefighters are very well trained, but certainly if those hydrants were not blocked, it's a little bit of a smoother, quicker operation for us," Esposito added.
One woman claimed she was in the process of trying to getting a boot removed from her car, so she could move it, adding parking is a big issue in the area.
"It's not my fault, but I can take responsibility for parking at a hydrant. Yeah, I'm not supposed to do that. What else am I supposed to do?" she said. "I work and I go to school. I'm coming home looking for parking. I never find parking. I'm circling the block for three, four hours at a time."
In a statement, the NYPD said, "The NYPD takes hazardous parking violations seriously as evidenced in the robust enforcement figures. Last year, the NYPD issued over 638,000 parking summonses for blocked fire hydrants Citywide. The NYPD will continue to address all hazardous parking conditions as the violations are observed by members on patrol. "
New York City Department of Finance data shows the number of fire hydrant violation tickets has been dropping over the past few years: 824,858 in 2022, 689,000 in 2023 and 652,000 in 2024.
