There were no injuries reported but several families were displaced following a residential fire in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on Monday night, July 7, officials said.

 

An FDNY spokesperson said the department received a call at 8.27 p.m. on Monday night for a report of a fire at 2407 Morris Avenue on the first floor of a multiple dwelling, which was brought under control at 9.09 p.m.

 

The FDNY said the cause is under investigation. An overview chart of NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) recent complaints, violations, building charges/fees, and litigations for 2407 Morris Avenue as of July 7 is attached further below.

 

Some residents were seen mopping up the excess water on the first and second floors and generally assessing the damage, while many others were gathered outside.

 

We spoke to the family who live in Apartment 1D where the fire started along with their 18-year-old family friend. With their mom’s permission, the younger members of the family and the 18-year-old friend explained what happened.

“It was probably a plug or something,” the 18-year-old family friend said. A daughter of the family reiterated, “It was a plug! It was in the living room and there was a plug that was connected to something and this one (gesturing to her younger brother), he was watching TV in the living room, so he just comes out and screams, ‘Help! help! help!'”

 

She said they then began evacuating. “But when we come out, the fire was starting like really….” the daughter said. “It was, like, small but then it was getting big,” the family friend added. “So that’s it.. a regular fire.” Asked if the whole apartment caught fire in the end, one of the girls said, “No, not the whole apartment, just that area (living room) but there was smoke everywhere.”

 

Asked if they were able to exit without too many issues, they said they were, adding that there had been four people in the apartment at the time the fire broke out, the two teens we spoke to (a 16-year-old daughter and her 18-year-old friend) and two younger kids, a boy and a girl aged 4 and 8. Asked if they had been scared, they said, “yes.” One of them added, “We got out and we called 911.”

 

Asked if they had to carry any of the younger children out, they said no, and that they just led them out. “There was a dog!” one of them added. Asked if the dog was ok, one of them said, “Yeah, That’s the dog right there in the car. That’s the most fine one is the dog.”

 

We spoke to another female resident called Xiomara outside on the street. She was wearing a face mask and said she lives on the second floor. Speaking in Spanish, she said, “We were arriving back from the supermarket and this little one said to me, ‘The apartment is on fire.’ A lot of smoke was rising from downstairs and we’re on the second floor,”

The resident said she, her son, her 8-year-old daughter, her little dog, and her brother had been inside the apartment when the fire broke out. “I told them to exit and go downstairs as I had to gather some papers, passports and those things,” she said.

 

When we spoke to her, her young son was by her side, also wearing a mask. She said there had been a lot of smoke, and so after the fire was put out, she later went back upstairs and got some masks for them. “The two apartments on the first floor (on the right-hand side as you face the building) are completed burned, and on the second floor, the apartment next to mine is completely burned,” she said. “Mine wasn’t burned but it’s damaged.”

 

The woman was waiting to be assisted by the Red Cross who were at the scene assisting other residents. She asked if we knew if the Red Cross had Spanish speakers on their team. We asked the Red Cross representative on site and were informed that a translator could be called, if necessary.

 

We also spoke to another female resident on the street who was with her son and who said she lives on the first floor opposite where the fire broke out. Speaking in Spanish and gesturing in one direction, she said, “We’re ok, thanks be to God. We got out quickly and went over there to the bodega.”

 

Asked if there had been a lot of smoke, she said, “Yes.” We asked if the building’s fire alarm had gone off and she said it had. We asked if her apartment was badly damaged and she said it wasn’t but that she and her son were waiting outside for the smoke to clear.

When contacted, the Red Cross of Greater New York said that after the fire, it registered five households (ten adults and eight children in total) for emergency assistance i.e. temporary lodging and financial assistance. “Our Greater New York Disaster Action team also provided care items to impacted residents, such as clean-up kits, comfort kits, diapers, clothes, snacks, water and pet supplies,” said Ned Klein, the Red Cross of Greater New York communications manager.

 

He added, “Any residents impacted by this fire who need help with their recovery and have not already connected with the Red Cross should call 1-877-RED CROSS (877-733-2767) and select Option 1.”

As reported, 14 people were injured after a fire broke out at 2462 Devoe Terrace in Fordham Manor on June 22, prompting a visit to the site the following day by New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Along with Fire Commissioner Ben Tucker and other senior members of the FDNY, the mayor reminded New Yorkers of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, the suspected cause of the blaze. They urged residents to only use standardized batteries in appliances.

 

FDNY officials are also reminding drivers not to block fire hydrants to prevent delays connecting fire hoses to hydrants. As reported, two people were killed after a fire engulfed a Buddhist temple on Anthony Avenue in Fordham Heights on Feb. 12, and fire officials said their rescue efforts were hampered by a car parked in front of a fire hydrant across the street from the blaze.

City officials are also warning New Yorkers to refrain from illegally opening fire hydrants. They said sprinkler caps are available at local fire houses to facilitate cooling off.

 

To read some of our recent fire-related coverage, click here, here, here, and here,

 

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

 

Animal Care Centers of New York City shared the following link for the ASPCA of fire safety tips for animals.