Nine people were hurt, the majority of them taken to hospitals, in a stubborn Bronx fire that engulfed a six-story building late Tuesday and totally destroyed several apartments before the flames were put out, authorities say.
Fire officials say the blaze broke out on the third floor of the Davidson Avenue building shortly after 11 p.m. and quickly escalated to two alarms. More than 100 fire department personnel responded.
Firefighters put out the flames before midnight but they rekindled, taking the effort into the early hours of Wednesday. Seven of the nine patients were taken to hospitals. No details on their injuries were immediately provided.
The other victims were treated at the scene.
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The American Red Cross says it is assisting multiple families with children who were displaced by the fire. At least four apartments were said to have been a total loss.
A mother of six who was offered two nights at a hotel by the Red Cross says she doesn't know where she'll go after that. She and her children made it out safely but her cat is missing, she says -- and she fears the feline was lost to the flames.
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Residents were being told Wednesday to go inside their charred homes to take what they could. Some were seen carrying out garbage bags full of belongings. The entire building has no electricity.
Annie Herrera, who lives in the building, says the fire started in her neighbor's unit and that he was burned on his face and hands. She says the neighbor says the fire started underneath his bed, where he had a number of items charging, though the official cause of the blaze remains under investigation by the FDNY.
Like the mother of six, Herrera was ousted from her home. She spent the night sleeping in an MTA bus. She says she doesn't want to do that again.
It's not clear how many people live in the building. The investigation is ongoing.
