Surviving displaced residents of the devastating fire in Belmont on April 21 in which two people were killed say they have been calling 311, the FDNY, and local elected officials to seek answers on the cause of the fire, retrieval of any salvageable belongings, and on the status of at least seven cats and one dog left behind and believed to be still inside the building.

 

The 5-story structure, currently the subject of a full vacate order, also has a temporary barricade erected around the front, while the back entrance has been blocked off by a piece of plywood placed over a locked, chain-linked fence.

As reported, the 5-alarm fire broke out inside 660 East 187th Street on Tuesday, April 21. Read our prior coverage of the incident here, here and here. After the fire, NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) issued a Full Vacate Order for the entire building, including several stores located at ground level.

 

Meanwhile, after what they say were repeated pleas for help, on Monday, May 4, thirteen days after the fire, members of the FDNY, DOB, NYC Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD), and Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) met outside the building to discuss what could be done to rescue/retrieve the missing animals.

 

According to Altas Palmas Animal Clinic, dogs and cats can generally survive for a day or two without water, but dehydration becomes severe and dangerous after just 24 hours, and this timeframe does not take into account a situation in which there may have been a lack of oxygen, such as during a fire. The timeframe also depends on factors like age, health, and climate. “Without water, pets face rapid organ failure, making it a critical emergency,” a site extract reads.

On Thursday, April 30, Norwood News contacted the mayor’s office for housing recovery operations and shared details of the, at that point, five cats believed to be trapped inside the building.

 

A female staffer replied, “Ah, so what’s the reason for your call?” When told again that five cats were trapped inside the burned out building, she asked, “Are you calling just to let me know this?” We informed the staffer that we were looking to get assistance for the residents regarding their missing pets [since they were alleging they had not, at that stage, received an update from other City agencies]. The staffer replied, “Thank you. As a member of the media, please email the press office with your comments.”

On the same day, in response to the same inquiries regarding the cats, a female staffer at ACC said, “I was speaking with my supervisor. So the building on East 187 Street, we don’t have access to the building.” She added, “Regarding getting access, because the building is tapered off, it’s like there’s no way for anybody to go in, due to the fact that it’s a hazard to walk in.”

 

Asked if the City has a protocol for such a situation, the staffer replied, “I wouldn’t be able to answer that. I do apologize. That’s one question I would not be able to answer.” Norwood News had previously reported on a seemingly coordinated effort between DOB and ACC to rescue various pets following another massive fire in the Allerton section of the Bronx in January 2025 at 2910 Wallace Avenue.

 

On Friday, May 1, Norwood News met with a dozen fire victims who were still hoping to be reunited with their animals. Mary Baron, a former animal rescuer and Belmont resident who lives in the vicinity of the affected building but not in it, said, “I went in there before they gated it up. Now, it’s like Fort Knox.” She continued, “No one can go in. No one can go out, not even a mouse.”

Referring to the trapped pets, she added, “They didn’t even leave a 6-inch hole for them to go out. We can’t get in; the animals are still in there.”

 

One Sunday, April 26, “Ritchie,” an orange and white tabby cat was observed in a video posted to social media on the building’s fire escape. At that point, Baron contacted an FDNY supervisor and members of Ladder 42 came back to the scene. Firefighters managed to grab one cat that was immediately reunited with its female owner, but not Ritchie.

 

Ritchie’s owner, Luciano Silva, had been watching the rescue from Crescent Avenue. He explained that firefighters entered the fire escape at the back of the building, adding, “Yeah, we saw our cat and they (firefighters) came out with a different one, so there could be tons of cats up there.”

Silva, a 30-year resident of Belmont, recalled, “I had Ritchie for six years. I’ve taken care of my spot.” [He kept his home in good order.] In reference to the fire, he added, “To lose everything because of one other person….. ” Silva added, “That day, I was able to see Ritchie up there. We all called to him that day. So, then they [firefighters] scared him off. They had him and they just let him go or he got out and I don’t even know if they tried again or even confirmed if there were other cats up there. Like, this could have been the first miracle out of this whole, awful situation that day, but it’s just awful not being able to have him after that.”

 

Of Ritchie, Silva continued, adding, “He’s just a kind, loving, scared cat. I haven’t seen him since we saw him that day on the fire escape. He was scared, terrified, and I have no idea where he could be.” He added, “We tried every avenue we could, but all we’re getting is stonewalled, getting constant no’s, never getting a yes at all. Even that day, asking firefighters and the police for help, and nothing. It’s only [since] we called 911 and we talked to a supervisor, and we told them we would have gone crazy if they hadn’t shown up.”

 

Meanwhile, Brigitte Cellis, a resident of Apartment 21, told Norwood News, “I sadly have lost my cat, my birds, and my turtles, and my goldfish. The fire was on April 21, and it’s May 1^st and they haven’t updated us on our pets. Our neighbors are still looking for their cats, their dogs, and it’s really sad that no one wants to help us. The fire department hasn’t helped us, the police, and I’m really desperate to find my animals.”

Displaying her cellphone which had a photo of her cat ‘Oreo,’ on it, Cellis added, “I also had 30 birds, 30 doves, and they all passed away, and I had two goldfish and they were still in there, and no one has dared to go in to try to see if anything is there, and it’s not fair for us because these pets were a part of our families.”

 

Another resident of the building, Crisol Tlatelpa, told Norwood News, “I have my cat who was, unfortunately, left behind. Her name is ‘Mina.’ She is a grey and white cat. I’ve had her for, like, 15 years, and we feel… my family is devastated since she was left behind. I’ve reached out to the senator. I’ve reached out to the councilman. The senator did reach out to me and said he was trying to arrange something but this fire happened over a week ago.”

 

[Norwood News is double-checking with the resident if she meant State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), and City Councilman Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15), and will confirm asap.] Both, along with other elected officials, had shared their reaction to the fire as reported. Read our previous coverage of reaction and follow-up here.

 

Tlalelpa continued, “We still have no update. They boarded up the building. My mom was in there in the fire. She tried looking for my cat, but you know, she couldn’t. The fire spread so quickly that there was no time for that. She barely made it out herself but we want answers.” Tlalelpa added, “We are still hopeful until, you know, somebody tells us…until we see our cat, whether she passed away or she’s alive. I think that will be the day we finally get some closure.”

Displaced resident, Susana Torres, was asked how her children were taking the separation from their pets. “They’re crying for the cats because we have nothing,” she said. “There hasn’t been any news. Like no one is telling us anything about the cats.”

 

Disputing an earlier statement made during an April 24th press conference held outside the building during which FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Dan Flynn said, “The reason why we think that fire was (so) advanced is because the doors were left open inside the building,” Torres said, “Old doors are metal and they automatically close. As soon as you walk out, those doors close, so no one opened the doors.” As reported, according to the FDNY, some doors had been propped open amid the fire, and explained that the open doors had exacerbated its spread.

 

As reported, during the same press conference, Flynn had said that though tragic, the impact of the fire could have been a lot worse, and could have resulted in more deaths had it not been for what was described as the heroic efforts of the various FDNY and EMS units.

In addition to the calls placed by residents, Norwood News has also reached out to City Hall, the FDNY, DOB, the Offices of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and City Councilman Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15), and the NYPD for comment regarding the time-sensitive matter. We received an initial automated message from Gibson’s office.

 

The NYPD responded, saying, as previously reported, that on April 21 at 1.33 p.m. police responded to a 911 call of a residential/commercial building fire inside 660 East 187th Street, that the FDNY responded and extinguished the fire, and that EMS responded and pronounced two unidentified individuals deceased at the scene and transported a 19-year-old male to NYC Health and Hospitals/Jacobi in critical condition.

 

They also said that, as also reported, the Red Cross responded to the scene, that three FDNY firefighters were removed to a local area hospital for smoke inhalation and were in stable condition, and that the fire marshal will determine the cause of the fire. They added there are currently no arrests and that, as reported, the investigation remains ongoing. They said the identities of the deceased were being withheld pending proper family notifications.

 

We will share any further updates we receive from all other entities contacted.

 

Katy Hansen, director of communications at ACC, also issued a statement to Norwood News via text message in response to some of our follow-up inquiries and after speaking to some of the pet owners, saying, “ACC is ready to help. We will wait for guidance from the FDNY and the DOB on the next steps.”

 

Meanwhile, city officials have planned another meeting for later this week when they hope to have answers on how the animals can be rescued safely. Several sources, including ACC, DOB, residents of the building, and the FDNY said the delay is due to the collapse of the roof that fell onto the fifth floor, with the fifth floor having also collapsed onto the fourth floor. The FDNY said there was also a collapse of the interior stairwell. Another source also mentioned an issue with asbestos as the building was erected in 1906.

The property is owned by CHT Trust, with a Brooklyn address. Norwood News was unable to locate contact information for CHT Trust (with an address in Brooklyn) in order to contact the property owner for comment.

 

The Belmont Catholic Community shared the following update on relief efforts on Thursday, saying in part, “We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and generosity our community has shown during this time. 🤍 At this moment, the Belmont Catholic Community is no longer accepting physical donations. We are now only accepting cash donations, which will go directly into our Emergency Fund to continue supporting those affected by the fire.

 

Seguimos aquí para nuestra comunidad. Gracias por caminar con nosotros en este momento difícil. 🙏
Ahora solo estamos aceptando donaciones en efectivo, las cuales serán destinadas al Fondo de Emergencia para ayudar a las familias afectadas.”  

Norwood News was previously advised by the FDNY Foundation that if residents are not home when a fire breaks out and if they have pets, owners can place a notice somewhere inside the apartment near the apartment door in large lettering that indicates if there are pets in the apartment, how many, and in which room they are typically located. They said every second counts and if they can, the firefighters may do their best to rescue them, though they cannot guarantee it, of course.

According to Maryland SPCA officials, any pets who have endured a fire should be taken to the vet as soon as possible. Some effects of house fires can take several hours to become lethal, so immediate veterinary care may prevent such effects from occurring, they said. “Your veterinarian will assess your pet’s heart, lungs, eyes, and skin,” they added.

 

Click here for more information on various fundraisers organized for those affected by the fire. Read our prior coverage of the incident here, here and 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.”

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.