THE DAMAGE TO to the rear of a 17-story residential building at Boston Secor Houses NYCHA complex at 3485 Bivona Street in the Eastchester section of The Bronx after an overnight fire is seen Saturday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2026. Police said nobody was allowed inside to photograph the interior. Video by Norwood News

The NYPD said Wednesday, Jan. 28, that they have arrested a 55-year-old man following the fatal fire last Saturday, Jan. 24, at a NYCHA housing complex in the Eastchester section of The Bronx. As reported, one person died, one person remained critical, and 14 people were reported injured following the residential, overnight explosion and fire at a Boston Secor Houses NYCHA complex building, according to the City’s fire department. The building is currently undergoing renovations under the City’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together or PACT program, and the fire followed a gas explosion, FDNY officials said.

 

FDNY officials said they received a call at 00.19 a.m. for a report of a smell of gas at 3485 Bivona Street, a multiple dwelling located between Reeds Mill Lane and Boston Road, which later led to a gas explosion and fire. Boston Secor is one of three public housing developments in the northeast Bronx that are home to nearly 1,600 residents, including nearly 600 seniors, according to City officials.

 

Upon arrival, they said they discovered a fire on the 15th, 16th and 17th floors in multiple apartments, adding that the 4-alarm fire drew 74 emergency units to the scene comprising 231 fire and EMS personnel. They said 15 patients were counted among the injured and one civilian was found deceased upon arrival. The male deceased resident has subsequently been identified by police as Ronald McCallister, 60, of 3475 Bivona Street, Bronx.

THE SCENE OUTSIDE the front of Boston Secor Houses NYCHA complex in the Eastchester section of the Bronx Jan. 24, 2026, after an overnight fire. The fire appears to have broken out at the rear of the building which was seen with more damage at least to the exterior. Police said nobody was allowed inside to photograph the interior. Video by Norwood News

FDNY officials had said one other civilian remained in critical condition at Jacobi Medical Center in Morris Park, one civilian refused medical attention, one firefighter with a non-life-threatening injury was transported to Jacobi Medical Center and there were 11 civilians with non-life-threatening injuries who were also transferred to area hospitals. They said the fire was brought under control at 4.52 a.m.

 

On Wednesday, police said officers had responded to the 911 call regarding the Bivona Street fire, located within Police Service Area 8 and the 47th Precinct. They said FDNY found a60-year-old male and a 37-year-old male unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded and pronounced the 60-year-old male deceased on scene and the 37-year-old male was transported to a local area hospital in critical condition. They added that EMS transported five, other aided people to a local area hospital in stable condition.

 

A visit by Norwood News to the site on Saturday afternoon appeared to show smoke still smoldering from the building on the top level as residents were seen standing in the cold outside, some with pets, waiting to go back in.

 

Police had blocked off Bivona Street to traffic from Boston Road as a far as far as Reeds Mill Lane as FDNY operations continued amid bitterly cold temperatures at the site. NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) and the NYPD were also at the location.

Deputy Mayor for Housing & Planning Leila Bozorg later said during a press conference that the building comprises around 150 homes. She thanked the emergency response teams from EMS, FDNY, NYPD, The Red Cross, DOB as well as the property management teams in charge of the building. In response to a question about the renovations, she said she understood gas work had been completed and signed off on, but that City officials were still investigating exactly what repair work was still ongoing at the time of the explosion.

 

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said FDNY arrived at the site within 5 minutes of getting a call regarding a gas smell on the upper floors. She said around 15 minutes later, as the investigation was ongoing, the explosion occurred and was followed by multiple fires. She said it had been a difficult and cold evening for those involved in fighting the fire and commended all for their efforts.

 

FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said FDNY members had been on the 15th and 16th floors when the explosion occurred, including some who were in the elevator and were trapped inside for a short time.

“We had severe structural damage on six apartments on each floor,” the fire chief said. “We eventually had fire in five apartments on the 16th floor and five apartments on the 17th floor. It was a very, very dangerous operation for our firefighters who performed incredibly on those upper floors, searching and protecting civilian life.”

 

Esposito lamented the death of the sole fatal victim and said he was grateful there weren’t more fatalities. He explained that firefighters had to work hard to get past the fire on the 16th floor before they could get to trapped residents on the 17th, who he said were seen at windows. He said due to the explosion, though they train for it, the fire was “not a routine operation.”

Of the other injured victims, an FDNY official said five were serious and eight were minor. EMS Commissioner Zach Iscol said a reception center had opened at nearby Cornerstone Academy. In light of the expected snowstorm on Sunday, Iscol appealed to New Yorkers to practice fire safety, explaining that had the fire broken out during the snowstorm, it would have been a much more complicated response effort.

 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, along with Congressman George Latimer (NY-16), Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (A.D. 83), State Sen. Jamaal Bailey (S.D. 36) and City Councilman Kevin Riley (C.D. 12) were seen at the reception center on Saturday. Latimer, Heastie, Bailey, and Riley later released the attached joint statement together with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.

Norwood News spoke to one resident on Saturday who declined to be identified, and asked him if he could describe what had happened. “I can try but it’s going to be sketchy,” he said appearing to be still in shock. “Turns out that there was a building explosion and we had to leave and then some went to the hospital, like my father, and some went to the shelter over there.”

 

The resident said his father was 91. Asked how he was doing, the resident said, “He’s not doing well. I have to get a wheelchair for my father. He’s in the hospital right now, and there’s nothing wrong with him but they have to let him go by 6 o’clock. If they do that, I got problems but you know he has to get a wheelchair because the hospital won’t give him a wheelchair to leave, to go to this shelter or to a hotel. I’ll need to find somewhere to put him so he doesn’t miss his reservation to the hotel.”

 

The resident commended the Red Cross for their efforts in re-housing people temporarily, saying, “They’re doing a good job. They’re doing a very good job.” Asked if everyone was being rehoused, he said, “It turns out also that you can only go [back in] from floors 11 down, when it said 14 before. They changed it to 11.”

He explained that everyone from the eleventh floor down was going back into the building to get their belongings, their medical equipment or medication. “I might be out of luck,” he said. “I’m on the 13th, unlucky 13.”

 

Another male resident who also declined to be identified and who also appeared to be still in shock explained to Norwood News what he experienced. “It’s messed up. Pretty much, I was asleep. I woke up and I heard a big loud noise. I woke up clueless. I wasn’t sure if that was what I heard so I heard all the commotion in the hallway and people started banging on the door talking about there’s an explosion in the building, evacuate the building, come out here and get outside and all the fire department, all the lights and stuff outside.”

 

The resident continued, “I take my mom. I walked her out the block. I actually witnessed the whole fire coming out of the window. It’s crazy. I’ve been 41 years and I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Asked if the whole building was evacuated, the resident said it was. He said he understood the explosion was on the 16th floor. As above, the FDNY are still investigating the origin. The resident said he believed he would be rehoused by the Red Cross but everything was still in flux, adding, “They’re doing their thing. That’s why we’re out here.” Asked if he was able to go back in and gather some belongings, he held up a small bag and said, “Just this. I got to get to work so I got my uniform, but it’s crazy.”

 

Another man was seen outside with his dog which had a warm cover around him. In the adjacent building to the one that caught fire, a memorial of candles was seen dedicated to a person called Jahmir. It was unclear if it was the fire victim or someone else. Inside, one elevator had been designated for construction workers and one for tenants and numerous NYC Department of Building signs were seen inside and outside, including one April 2025 full stop work order.

 

Handwritten on the same Stop Work Order were the words “Proceed Entire Work Operations.” Around the building was scaffolding making it difficult to actually see the damage to the top rear of the building, where the fire seemed to have been the worst. Fallen debris was seen on the grass outside.

We also spoke to two male residents (at least one of whom was a veteran) in the adjacent building. One said he had also lived in the building for 41 years and nothing like this had ever happened before. He appeared to suggest the explosion was due to the repairs. More to follow.

 

In the same adjacent building, a woman was seen holding two small dogs by their leads. Their eyes were very red and their coats were blackened. One appeared to have an injured leg. We believe she mentioned they had only been found in the affected building hours later. Another woman said Animal Care Center (ACC) NYC were onsite at the affected fire building and suggested she bring them over there. The first woman explained that the dogs were unable to walk on their own. They looked weak and frightened. More reaction to follow.

 

A spokesperson for the Red Cross later said that after the fire on Bivona Street, it was continuing to support a reception center in coordination with the City of New York to support impacted residents. “As of 1:30 p.m. [Saturday, Jan. 25], the Red Cross has registered 101 households and 305 individuals, including 89 children, for emergency assistance,” the spokesperson said. “Intake is ongoing – any residents impacted by this fire who need help with their recovery should come to the reception center.”

 

The reception center is located at Rosa Parks Educational Campus, 2189 Reeds Mill Lane, Bronx, NY 10475. The Red Cross said at the reception center, residents can register for Red Cross recovery assistance and access a safe, warm place to wait for additional information about the building.

 

According to NYCHA, the affected building was undergoing renovations under the PACT program. Developments selected to be a part of the PACT program receive “comprehensive renovations, enhanced property management, and expanded on-site social services,” according to NYCHA. More to follow. Read our previous story on the PACT program here.

 

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape.”

 

In response to the fire, FDNY’S Fire Safety Education Unit shared lifesaving tips at Nationwide Warehouse at 691 Co-Op City Blvd on Jan. 27. The FDNY urges residents to clear ice and snow from nearby hydrants. “Buried hydrants cause significant delays, increasing the danger and difficulty of fighting a fire,” they said. “So please, keep yourself and your neighbors safe by clearing hydrants!”

 

Click here to read our story about a fatal Grand Avenue fire in the University Heights section of The Bronx on Jan. 25.

 

For anyone wishing to contribute, GoFundMe have advised of two GoFundMe pages that have been created to support some of the affected families as follows:

Support for Bronx Family After Devastating Fire

Urgent Support for the Tungara Family After Fire