Washington Heights Fire Injures 17, Displaces 60
An apartment fire at Riverside Drive and 157th Street has caused multiple injuries.
17 people were injured and 60 have been displaced after after a 7-alarm fire in Washington Heights. After investigation, the cause of the fire was identified as a toaster that burst into flames.
The Red Cross is on scene now following a 7-alarm fire on Riverside Drive, providing hot meals and assistance to dozens of affected families pic.twitter.com/37UBneMwCK
โ NY Red Cross (@redcrossny) January 9, 2018
Around 2pm, a fire began on the second story of the six-story residential building. While the danger has passed, the FDNY continued working the fire, making sure that no hot spots remained that could reignite a fire. The steady increase in "alarms" is due to the duration of the response, which requires more units to be dispatched to take over those that have been on scene for many hours.
On Tuesday, FDNY responded to the building a second time, but it was for a "steam condition", and thankfully no fire was found.
There are currently 14 non-life-threatening injuries reported at the 4-alarm fire, 775 Riverside Dr in Manhattan. There are no critical injuries at this time. #FDNY operations continue pic.twitter.com/D6pBGpjTCi
โ FDNY (@FDNY) January 8, 2018
Please be aware when using electric appliances or open flames during these cold months โ multiple recent fires across the city have been caused by accidents involving space heaters, gas stoves, and even a menorah.
Please be careful with candles, heaters, and fireplaces! Never leave them unattended and be aware of flammable materials near any source of heat ๐ง https://t.co/gVfo1HFxz0
โ A Great Big City (@agreatbigcity) January 8, 2018
