Bronx fire burning for several hours as crews face cold, windy conditions
NEW YORK -- A five-alarm fire is burning in the Bronx, and firefighters have been on the scene for several hours.
At least seven people are injured, and officials say the cold and windy conditions are making it more difficult to put out the stubborn flames.
"Thank god no life-threatening injuries," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on the scene Friday morning. "This was a massive fire, and the wind played a major role in the conditions that we are facing."
"It's been a very long and cold morning here in the Bronx," FDNY Commissioner Ben Tucker added. "This was a very, very large fire, wind-driven, as the mayor said. Very difficult fire for our firefighters to fight under conditions that caused us to have to have lots of relief."
Firefighters responded around 1:45 a.m. to a building on Wallace Avenue in the Allerton section of the borough. Once crews arrived, they determined the fire was coming from the upper level of the building. In just under an hour, it quickly grew to five alarms.
Crews have been working to get the intense flames and smoke under control, but officials said the roof and all apartments on the top floor were destroyed.
"Initially, we had fire companies inside conducting searches, removing people and attempting to fight the fire. The fire had too much headway, extremely dangerous for our firefighters. We removed them from the building and, you can see behind us, we're using tower ladders to extinguish the rest of the building, and we're continuing with that operation," said one fire official.
Five firefighters and two residents suffered minor injuries, and five of the victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment, according to the FDNY.
"Please pray for your neighbors here in Allerton. 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," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
Watch video from Chopper 2 over the scene as firefighters continue to battle the blaze.
Residents suspect Bronx fire was started by space heater
The city's Office of Emergency Management is telling residents to go to P.S. 76 The Bennington School on Adee Avenue, where the Red Cross is set up to help. So far, the Red Cross says more than 60 households are displaced.
"If you need help or you need services, we encourage you to reach out to the Red Cross. Again, services are being provided at P.S. 76 The Bennington School down the street," OEM Commissioner Zachary Iscol said.
Some residents told CBS News New York's Elijah Westbrook the building has been without heat for a while, and they have to use space heaters to stay warm.
"There's no heat always, all the time," one woman said. "For years."
"I called today and I spoke to them at the office, and they hung up on me. So you know what I do? I called 311, and they gave me a confirmation number," another woman added.
Other residents described how they escaped overnight into the bitter cold outside.
"We were sleeping, me and my wife, and we smelled some type of smoke, fire. We didn't know that it was this big until the fire department started breaking the doors and knocking the doors down, and that's when we discovered that it was pretty big," one man said.
"I was going to go in to bed, then I saw the trucks and I said, 'Uh oh, this don't look good,'" another man added. "Then, sure enough, I said let me get some stuff together and get out of here."
The FDNY said about 250 fire and EMS personnel responded to help fight the fire. The commissioner told reporters the cause is under investigation, adding he was not aware of the complaints about the lack of heat.
"Have not heard that, preliminarily, but we are going to have DOB and other city agencies look into if there's a chronic condition, going to look at if there are 311 calls that were made, what follow-up was conducted, and we're going to find out what the cause of this fire is," said Adams. "But we will look into if those were some of the concerns."
Stick with CBS News New York for the latest updates on this developing story.