Bronx apartment fire injures 7, displaces over 200, as wind fanned flames, officials say

A massive fire at a Bronx apartment building with an extensive history of tenant complaints injured seven people and displaced more than 200 early Friday morning, according to FDNY and city officials, who continue to investigate the cause.

Firefighters first responded to the blaze around 1:40 a.m. on the top floor of a building on Wallace Avenue near Arnow Avenue in Allerton. Heavy winds spread the flames, and the blaze was declared a five-alarm fire, which is the most severe level of fire alarm and means all available FDNY units in the area are requested at the scene.

Parts of the building were still smoldering by noon on Friday, as neighbors gathered to watch firefighters continue to battle flames leaping out of windows on the sixth floor. Gray smoke blanketed the blocks surrounding the nearly 100-unit building.

“It was a really traumatizing experience waking up, people banging on the door. I didn't know what was the situation,” said Niyah Scott, who was standing with her aunt and grandmother outside P.S. 76, which had opened as a shelter and gathering place for residents. “We still don’t know what’s the damages to our stuff yet, so that’s the worst part.”

City buses were idling across the street, taking groups of bleary-eyed residents with garbage bags full of belongings to several hotels in the Bronx and Manhattan. Alberto Vargas, who had been staying in the building with a friend, said residents needed coats, sweaters and sneakers for both children and adults.

Frederic Klein, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross in New York, said the organization was helping at least 88 households and 230 people affected by the fire. He encouraged any who had not yet registered for aid — including temporary housing and food — to contact the Red Cross’ Greater New York arm.

The ASPCA said Friday it was providing pet owners with food and supplies, as well as veterinary and boarding services. But it said many animals still remained missing. The ASPCA and the Animal Care Centers of New York City planned to conduct searches of the building for missing pets once access was permitted.

Since 1:40 a.m. Friday morning, the FDNY has been operating at the scene of a 5-alarm fire at 2910 Wallace Avenue in the Bronx. There are currently seven injuries. Firefighters have been battling a heavy wind condition that advanced the fire. pic.twitter.com/f9Sl2B2uUU

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 10, 2025

At a press briefing at the scene on Friday morning, Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials said it was a “miracle” that no one was seriously hurt.

“Thank God no life-threatening injuries … but this was a massive fire, and the wind played a major role in the conditions that we are facing,” Adams said.

FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said more than 250 first responders had worked to put out the fire and care for residents.

The seven injured people included five firefighters and two civilians, one of whom was treated at the scene, according to officials.

Chief of Department John Esposito said the fire started in the ceiling above the top floor, in an area called the “cockloft,” which stretches the entire length and width of the building. As the fire spread, it destroyed all the apartments on the top floor and burned through the roof.

“Initially we had fire companies inside, conducting searches, removing people and attempting to fight the fire,” he said. “The fire had too much headway, it was extremely dangerous for our firefighters, so we removed them from the building.”

Videos shared on social media showed a wall of flames shooting from the top of the building as firefighters on ladders sprayed water through the windows.

Officials praised the quick responses of city agencies to help the families that were displaced. The MTA provided buses to keep residents warm and local elementary school P.S. 76 was also serving as a temporary shelter, according to Zach Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner.

Lack of heat has been a problem at the building for weeks, according to city records. Residents in apartments throughout the building have lodged dozens of complaints since at least December, with many of the complaints coming in the last several days, the records show.

“We haven't had heat in a while,” said Julie Scott, Niyah’s grandmother, adding that her family stays warm with blankets and a space heater in the living room. “The building is dated, it’s old, and all of the wiring is old. We’ve just been toughing it out.”

“They’re not very good landlords,” she said.

The building is owned by a limited liability company called Parkash 2910 LLC, which is tied to major New York City landlord Ved Parkash, who has long faced scrutiny over conditions at his dozens of properties, according to property records and past media coverage.

Others at the scene who live in an adjacent building that property records show is owned by a different LLC tied to Parkash said they had experienced similar issues. Luis Fragoso said he has made numerous complaints about hot water to the management, including just this week.

“I feel bad for my neighbors,” he said. “This is over a 90-unit building. What are these people going to do?”

Parkash did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Parkash Management, which oversees the buildings, declined to comment through a representative, citing the ongoing probe into the fire.

Approximately 200 Fire and EMS personnel are operating at the scene of the 5-alarm fire on Wallace Avenue in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/J5px5Iri6T

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 10, 2025

The blaze broke out a day after the third anniversary of the deadly Twin Parks fire in the Bronx, which claimed the lives of 17 people in a high-rise building after a faulty space heater and malfunctioning doors contributed to the fire’s spread. On Friday, Tucker said the FDNY recommended against using space heaters or other electrical devices to keep warm because of the fire risks they pose.

Adams said he would direct the Department of Buildings and other city agencies to look into any heat issues at the Wallace Avenue building.

“We have a heat hotline, and we really want to encourage New Yorkers, if landlords are not fulfilling their responsibility and obligations to give proper heat, they should call in and report that, and we do conduct those investigations,” he said.

This is a developing story and has been updated.