Upper East Side residents recounted the horrifying moments when flames from a deadly three-alarm fire tore its way through an apartment building on Monday night, killing one person and leaving seven firefighters and residents injured.
According to FDNY sources, the blaze ripped through the six-story building located at 526 East 82nd St. around 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 2 and swiftly spread throughout the upper half of the structure, leaving firefighters to upgrade the inferno to three alarms.
The heat and smoke spread so fast that it left those living in the building scrambling to evacuate.
“They started banging and screaming in the stairwell: ’Fire! Fire! ‘Fire!’ Once I was in the hallway and in the stairwell, it smelled of smoke,” said 32-year-old Matthew Myers, who lived on the second floor of the building.
Despite the frightening nature of the rapid evacuation, it wasn’t clear at that point just how serious the situation had become.
According to fire officials, the blaze ignited on the fifth floor and then rapidly spread to the fourth and sixth floors in minutes. The blaze was so out of control that several firefighters were injured, along with residents who were whisked out on stretchers.
One person also perished inside the building, however, the FDNY did not provide any details about the individual who lost their life.
“I smelled a fire, and this whole top floor was spewing flames, and they were breaking glass,” Juan Cuervo said. “Just as soon as I stepped out there was already a flames out the window.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Fire Department sources said.
