TOPNews_UA
A raging blaze consumed the top floor of a Manhattan building overnight, forcing evacuations in the middle of the night and leaving dozens of tenants without access to their homes.
The fire at a six-story home on West 141st Street in Hamilton Heights eventually triggered a 5-alarm response, bringing about 200 firefighters and EMS personnel to the blaze, the FDNY said.
Rescuers first arrived at the building around 1.30am on Saturday and found the fire raging on the top floor.
“The fire quickly spread to the space above the ceiling and roof that we call the cockloft,” FDNY Department Chief John Hodgens said.
The building and its 42 units were inaccessible to all residents long after firefighters took control and extinguished the flames. The American Red Cross estimated that at least 109 people were temporarily displaced by the fire. The organization has set up emergency assistance at nearby PS 192 for anyone in need of food or shelter.
FDNY officials said at least nine people were injured in the inferno, seven of whom were firefighters.
Investigators were able to rule the fire was accidental, started by electrical wiring in the top floor ceiling, the FDNY said.