Two firefighters were injured on Tuesday afternoon while battling a three-alarm fire in the Bronx and downed electrical wires, FDNY said.
According to FDNY sources, firefighters raced to an apartment building at 1471 Watson Avenue at around 1:57 p.m. after flames began spewing from the 6th floor. Beginning in apartment 6C, the raging fire rapidly spread into other apartments and the bundling’s loft prompting the incident to be deemed a second-alarm fire at 2:06 p.m. before again being upgraded to a three-alarm fire at 2:22 p.m. FDNY Chief Michael Meyers called the situation “extremely hazardous.”
“The units put six hose lines in place in order to help extinguish and contain this fire. They did an amazing job of us living up to the moniker of us being the bravest,” Meyers said.
Meyers also charged that FDNY was extremely worried about the inferno spreading from the attic area, causing first responders to not only deal with excessive fire and smoke billowing from the engulfed building. They also had to contend with live electrical wires that were torn down during the chaotic incident.
While a tower ladder from a fire truck was being erected to aid with the external battle, the ladder struck the wires, ripping them down onto FDNY vehicles.
“It energized about three of our vehicles. Thankfully when the wires came down on top of our vehicles nobody was hurt and none of the vehicles were damaged,” Meyers said.
FDNY sources reported that about 33 units and 138 first responders were utilized in the operation and were able to bring the fire under control at around 3:30 p.m. However, Chief Meyers emphasized that two firefighters were whisked to Jacobi Hospital with minor injuries. One individual reportedly suffered smoke inhalation while another was wounded due to neck burns. Chief Meyers also stated that no civilians were injured as a result of the fire, and they had already evacuated by the time FDNY arrived on scene.
The building itself remained a charred husk, with broken windows and what Meyers said would include water damage.
