A two-alarm fire tore through a Chinatown homeless shelter on Tuesday, leaving at least seven firefighters with minor injuries and the building gutted, the FDNY said.
Flames started bursting through the roof of the Grand Street Hotel located at 143 Bowery at 8:06 a.m. on Jan. 14. Firefighters raced to the scene within 3 1/2 minutes, according to FDNY Assistant Chief Brian Gorman.
The former hotel has about 40 rooms and is currently being used as a homeless shelter; despite its large capacity, Fire Department sources said, all residents were evacuated swiftly without injury.
Huddled in blankets, shelter residents watched members of New York’s Bravest scale the fire escape as large plumes of smoke rose into the air, visible from several blocks around.
The firefighters shattered glass to create ventilation but were met with a stubborn blaze that was difficult to douse due to construction changes. Freezing temperatures on Tuesday morning made the effort all the more challenging, as icicles formed on the fire escape after firefighters began spraying water onto the building.
“Well, they had built the deck over the cockloft, so it was very labor-intensive to get to the fire on the roof. They had to do a lot of cutting, and the extreme weather conditions always make it a little challenging,” Chief Gorman told amNewYork Metro.
Cocklofts are open areas of older New York buildings between the top floor and the roof ceiling, and are notorious fire-spreaders.
When the firemen reached the roof, flames burst through it and lapped at their faces. From here, they could use a hose to fight the flames back, while others were forced to use saws to cut open the shutters of a business below, sending sparks flying.
Officials say 25 units and 106 firefighters responded to the scene. While the surrounding buildings were not damaged, the shelter itself was gutted.
The fire was placed under control around 10:07 a.m. Tuesday, with operations continuing after that to put out hot spots.
“No damage to surrounding buildings but extensive damage to the actual fire building,” Chief Gorman said.
While no civilians were injured, seven firefighters were treated for minor injuries. Fire Marshall Dan Flynn stated that the cause of the fire is under investigation but no criminality is suspected at this time.
Information about where the homeless shelter residents would be taken was not immediately available.
