What to Know
- A fire broke out at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday night and some 140 firefighters responded
- An 85-year-old woman had to be pulled from a smoky hallway by firefighters; she was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries
- More than a dozen families had to be relocated because of the blaze, fire officials said
A woman is fighting for her life after a fire tore through the fifth floor of a Bronx apartment building on Sunday night, fire officials said.
About 140 firefighters responded to the fire at 1038 Southern Boulevard shortly after it broke out around 8:15 p.m. in the Foxhurst neighborhood.
An 85-year-old woman was said to be the only person injured in the fire, according to FDNY Deputy Chief James J. Nichols. Firefighters found her unconscious in a smoke-filled hallway and she had to be pulled to safety.
The woman's injuries were said to be life threatening. She was taken to Lincoln Hospital in serious condition.
Chaveli Colon said that her father called her to tell her family to come outside because there was a fire in the building. She said she saw the woman, who she described as skinny and in her underwear, when she got to the street.
"I come outside and I see an older lady outside and she's like laying on the ground without breathing or anything," Colon said.
Local
The fire was brought under control shortly before 10:30 p.m. Firefighters were still at the scene just before 11 p.m.
Nichols said that 16 families had to be relocated.
Dozens of people who had evacuated the building were standing on the street amid a maze of fire hoses and emergency vehicles. The Red Cross was at the scene, as was the Department of Buildings and Office of Emergency Management.
The cause of the fire wasn’t known. Nichols said that the fire marshal would investigate.
