What to Know
- A worker is clinging to life after a multi-alarm fire in a junkyard in the Bronx sent enormous clouds of thick black smoke billowing
- According to the FDNY, the fire on Boston Road, in the section of Eastchester, was reported around 3:10 p.m.
- Witnesses said they saw the victim come out from the fire burning, and smothered him to put out the flames
A worker is clinging to life and another is missing after a major, multi-alarm fire in a junkyard in the Bronx sent enormous clouds of thick black smoke billowing across the borough Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency response teams and firefighters responded to the scene at Boston Road, in the section of Eastchester, around 3:10 p.m. and attempted to extinguish the massive blaze that boke out at New England Used Auto Parts, according to the FDNY. Witnesses said they heard — or even felt — some type of explosion right before seeing the smoke rise up.
One worker was taken to Jacobi Medical Center with serious, life-threatening injuries, according to the FDNY. The man just welcomed a new baby, his cousin told News 4, and witnesses saw him coming out from the fire burning. One man nearby said they smothered the victim and cut off his shirt to prevent the clothes from sticking to his open wounds.
Another person was reported missing and firefighters spent the night searching but no body has been found.
Fire officials also say that exploding tires — as a result of the fire — may be causing the "popping" sound people nearby reported hearing.
Video captured the heavy, thick and black smoke rising well above the houses and apartment buildings in the surrounding area before dispersing across the afternoon sky.
The smoke could be seen for miles and shut down roads in the vicinity of the fire, snarling traffic in the area just ahead of the evening rush.
Fire officials are investigating how the fire started.
