A patient in NYU Langone Hospital said he could smell the smoke well inside the building when a six-story tenement structure went up in flames on Tuesday afternoon sending a column of smoke into the sky and obscuring the line of sight for pedestrians around Second Avenue and 37th Street.
FDNy made a big appearance with dozens of crews responding and finding space for engines all the way up to 40th Street while cops blocked off Second Avenue at 42nd Street.
“No injuries. Fortunate no civilian injuries, and I was just told as with this briefing, no fire department injuries as well. Fire Marshals are on scene. They’re actively trying to determine the cause,” FDNY Deputy Chief Brendan McSweeney said
According to McSweeney, the fire started in the higher levels of the building, eventually shooting through the roof, and while the fire marshals were still on scene by 5 p.m. trying to determine a cause for the fire, only at least three to four apartments had been impacted.
McSweeney said at the time there were no civilian or firefighter injuries resulting from the blaze that seemed to dominate the skyline in Lower Manhattan for a time.
This is a developing story, check back with AMNY.com for updates.
