At least six people, including five firefighters and a 9-month-old baby, were injured in a fire that tore through an apartment building located in the Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx on Monday, August 5, 2019.
The apartment building affected by this fire is located at the corner of McClellan St. and Sherman Ave at 225 McClellan St., according to Pix11. Reports suggest that the fire began at around 6 a.m. and was a seven-alarm emergency by around 8 a.m. About 250 firefighters and emergency personnel responded to the scene, according to NBC, and the fire was soon declared to be under control.
To fight this fire as efficiently as possible, the FDNY made use of a drone to get an eagle eye view of the mixed-use building. It appears their brave efforts paid off – although one baby and five firefighters were injured by this fire, and some residents sadly lost pets in the blaze, no residents lost their lives.
“This fire was very difficult to keep up with,” said FDNY Chief Thomas Richardson. “It got into what we call a void space in the walls between the first floor and the top floor so it took multiple hose lines, many firefighters to open up the walls and the ceilings to expose the fire so we could extinguish it.”
Initial reports suggest the fire may have begun at a grocery store at the first level of the apartment building, although there is also a coffee shop under the building, according to Google Street View. Investigators will likely want to gather all the evidence before making any definitive conclusions about why or how this accident occurred, or who may be responsible for it.
The 9-month-old child was reported to have suffered from smoke inhalation, but is happily expected to have escaped without serious injuries. Five firefighters were also injured while fighting the blaze, and one was badly injured when he slipped on a wet fire escape.
We thank the valiant efforts of the firefighters of the FDNY and other emergency personnel who helped prevent this fire from becoming fatal. Of course this is business as usual for the FDNY, who also fought a second Bronx fire earlier that morning, resulting in one civilian and two more firefighters suffering injuries but again preventing major tragedy.
If anybody was responsible for causing this fire, hopefully they can be held accountable so that there are fewer fires that cause injuries, disrupt lives and displace residents. To find the source of this fire, investigators will likely start by looking to see if any of the machinery in the grocery store or coffee shop was left on longer than it was supposed to, or if any of the machines were plagued with defective wiring problems.
Even if the cause of this fire is determined, and the person or persons responsible are held accountable, it will not be able to undo the injuries or trauma inflicted on the residents of the building, or the firefighters who were injured trying to help them. When fires like these occur, people are left with real financial complications that may be alleviated with a lawsuit.
The attorneys of Block O’Toole & Murphy have experience handling lawsuits related to fires in apartment buildings, and have seen the devastation such fires can cause.In this $1,650,000 settlement, for example, a man tragically lost his life in a fire that started elsewhere in his apartment building. Although liability was strongly contested, our attorneys fought for the man’s window and won her compensation related to PTSD and emotional trauma.
If you or someone you love has been in a fire, call 212-736-5300 or fill out our contact form to receive a free, no-obligation legal consultation.