According to the FDNY, the department received a 911 call at around 5.32 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, for a report of a fire in a multi-story building located at 412 E 187th street, located between Park Avenue and Webster Avenue.

 

They said 12 units comprising 60 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene and the fire was brought under control at 5.53 p.m.

 

They said there were no injuries and the cause remains under investigation. Firehouse Engine 48, Ladder 56, Division 7 is located around the corner from the scene of the fire on Webster Avenue. The NYPD and other officials were also seen at the scene of the fire.

 

We spoke to one young man at the scene who said he goes by “AJ” who recounted to us what he had observed. “I was was walking down the street by [inaudible] and Webster and I came around here and this guy told me they tried to burn some gay dudes up there. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not but when I came here and I saw the house, the only thing I could see were the firefighters coming here with the watering hoses. I was only here for a minute and I saw everybody [EMS etc] come around but I don’t know if they brought any bodies out.”

AJ continued, “Other, than that though, I hope nobody got hurt or got killed, I’m gonna be honest with you.” Asked if he knew if there were people from the LGBTQ+ community living in the house, he said, “No, I just heard that that’s what that guy said but I hope not.”

 

Asked if he sounded rationale, he said he did but he did sound like he was joking or something. “I don’t know,” AJ said. “He could have been serious though for all I know. That’s what some guy said, ‘Someone tried to bust up some gay dude up in there,’ and I was like, ‘What, for real?’ and I just didn’t believe it was true so that’s why I came [back] here to see if there was any bodies or if everybody was alright.”

 

Asked if the person in question was a resident, AJ said, “No, he looked like he was from another neighborhood.” He said it was a pretty big response to the incident.

 

Norwood News reached out to the Red Cross to ask for details of any displaced residents. A spokesperson later responded and said, “After the fire on East 187th Street in The Bronx, the American Red Cross has registered [one household] two adults for emergency assistance such as temporary lodging. 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.” The spokesperson added that the residents also received care items, comfort kits, blankets, snacks and water.

 

We saw one person at the location carrying what looked to be some type of mattress or maybe a comforter on his back near the fire location but did not get to speak with him. The owner of a local beauty studio shared a video she had taken of the scene earlier that evening but said she had no further information on what happened and said at the time she took the video, the fire was already extinguished. Watch the video here.

 

“Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half as you only have about two minutes to safely get out,” said Doreen Thomann-Howe, regional CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York. “Every second counts when there’s a home fire and the sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get to a safer place. When daylight saving time ends this weekend, test your smoke alarms to help prevent a tragedy in your home.”

 

Red Cross officials said home fires account for most of the roughly 65,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually across the country. Over the past year, they said local Red Cross volunteers responded to help more than 10,000 people in the Greater New York region affected by more than 1,400 home fires.

 

They said when turning clocks back this weekend, residents should test their smoke alarms and replace the batteries if needed. Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to create and practice with your family, or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.

 

For more coverage of recent fires, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, 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.”