Four women, who were next-door neighbors, died in two separate top floor apartments after a fast-moving blaze tore through several apartments in a six-story building in Mount Eden on Tuesday, March 31. Firefighters responded to a 911 call at 1560 Grand Concourse, at East Mt. Eden Avenue, just before 7:30 p.m. 

 

NYPD confirmed that the FDNY suppressed a fire on the 6th floor of the building in apartment #603, where it had started. “Two females from inside apartment #601 and two females from apartment #602 were transported to BronxCare Health System, where they were pronounced deceased,” the NYPD statement read. 

 

Meanwhile, the FDNY reported the following in respect of the blaze. “The incident went to three alarms bringing approximately 140 firefighters (33 units) to the scene. Fire went under control at 21:00 with a total of five patients [were] reported (four civilians and one firefighter) all transported to local hospitals. Cause is under investigation.”

 

Video footage uploaded to the Citizen’s App show residents seeking refuge on the roof as flames shoot up the side of the building. Firefighters are subsequently seen leading them to safety.

 

One video shows a firefighter on a tower ladder attempting to break windows and disperse smoke from the burning apartment, apparently to enable his colleague to enter through the apartment door when a fireball shoots out of the window and the red and yellow flames seem to engulf the firefighter for several harrowing seconds.

 

In another video, an apparent female resident of the building is overheard saying, “People were screaming at us in the building, because they could see the fire burning and that’s how we knew to get out.”

 

A male bystander is then heard saying that he thought the fire was contained to one side of the building, while the female resident adds, “Yeah, but I see smoke over there too and there’s no telling how far it spreads, because above the ceiling there’s always a crawl space and fire can spread up there.”

 

In the same video, the woman is also heard saying that one victim had been rescued by firemen, who carried the victim down the fire escape.

 

In another video, a second apparent resident is heard saying, “I first noticed it when I was coming from Angelo’s getting my food, and it was mad smokey and the fire just started to burst out,” [the windows].

 

Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres, who is at home recovering from the coronavirus, tweeted a message of support for the victims saying, “Even though the @FDNY brought the fire under control, four New Yorkers tragically lost their lives. Please keep their families in your prayers.”

 

NYPD have not released the names of the victims, though an unverified report from NY Daily News stated that two were mother and daughter, both former medical professionals, the senior victim having worked at Bronxcare Health System, formerly Bronx-Lebanon Hospital for many years. 

 

Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. also shared his thoughts on the fire via Twitter saying, “My heart goes out to the families and I’ll be praying for them to find peace through this tragedy.”

 

Norwood News is following up with the FDNY on the cause of the fire.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed additional reporting to this story.