An “all hands” fire broke out and spread to several floors in a building in the Allerton section of The Bronx, according to the FDNY, with no injuries reported. The building includes a deli, tire shop and other possibly residential floors.

 

FDNY officials said they received a call at 4.24 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Jan. 28, for a report of a fire at 700 Adee Avenue off White Plains Road. They said the all hands alarm was raised at 4.31 a.m. a 2nd alarm at 4.35 a.m., a 3rd alarm at 4.47 a.m. and a 4th alarm at 4.54 a.m., drawing 74 fire and emergency units, comprising 231 fire & EMS personnel to the scene.

 

They said there are no reported injuries, “all members” were evacuated from the building, operations were ongoing through the night and the fire was brought under control at 7.09 a.m. They said the cause remains under investigation.

 

Later, FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said during a press conference after the fire that the structure was a 3-story non-fireproofed building with a deli on the first floor and two apartments on the upper floors. He said it was connected to a tire shop on the right hand side.

 

“Upon arrival, we had heavy fire throughout the building on all floors and into that tire shop,” Woods said. “We immediately went into a second, third, and fourth alarm very, very, very quickly. Our engine companies moved in with multiple hand lines. Due to the amount of fire and the structural stability of this building, we moved to an exterior attack where we set up multiple tower ladder streams.”

 

He added, “At this time, there are no injuries but there is extensive damage to this building. You can see that the roof is collapsed and we will continue to maintain a watch line. Some of the challenges of this cold weather, when the water leaves our hose lines, it freezes immediately on the pavement. We did have some slips and falls already. We were lucky to have a hydrant right in front  of that fire building that was not frozen but we did have some frozen hydrants in the surrounding area.’

 

In response to some questions, Woods said most of the residents self-evacuated and added that he believed most of the floors were unoccupied. The chief also said it’s always challenging to stretch hose lines and navigate narrow streets amid parked cars in the snow and the cold.

 

Another fire in a three-story home was also reported in the early hours of Wednesday morning at 840 Dean Street in the Throggs Neck section of the borough, which may have necessitated a Hazmat response.

 

Meanwhile, emergency services were also called when a person was struck by a train in Kingsbridge Heights and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

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.”

 

Click here to read our recent story regarding another fatal residential fire at Boston Secor Houses NYCHA complex on Saturday, Jan. 24.

 

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

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!”