Benjamin Carroll

8 Hurt, Some Children, After Fire Chews Through Bronx Building: FDNY

The blaze broke out at a six-story building on University Avenue in Morris Heights

What to Know

  • Eight people, including some children, were hurt after a fire tore through a Bronx apartment building early Wednesday, officials say
  • The blaze broke out at around 2 a.m. at a six-story building on University Avenue in Morris Heights
  • A space heater is being investigated as a possible cause, however, it's not yet clear what may have sparked the blaze

A space heater is being investigated as the cause of a fire that ripped through a Bronx apartment building early Wednesday, injuring more than a half-dozen people, some children, and sending some residents fleeing for their lives.

Eight people, including children, were hurt in the blaze that broke out at the six-story building on University Avenue in Morris Heights at around 2 a.m, according to firefighters.

Residents said they were forced to run to the fire escapes to get to safety as firefighters climbed ladders to rescue them. Paramedics rushed the injured to an area hospital to be treated.

Officials say three people suffered serious injuries and five suffered minor injuries. None of the injuries, however, are considered to be life-threatening.

A fire chief told News 4 the blaze appears to have started on the second floor, and most of the damage was to the second and third floors. Video from the scene shows those floors dark and with windows blown out. Smoke filled the entire building all the way to the top.

Residents of the building say there have been heating issues and some were using space heaters. It’s not yet clear what may have sparked the blaze.

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