A five-year-old boy died Wednesday night, January 3, when a fire broke out at 5:30 p.m. in the basement of a home on Barnes Avenue between East 227th and 226th Streets in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx. Another child, an 83-year-old woman, and a 26-year-old woman were also injured and hospitalized.
Footage from the scene captured the residents inside rushing out of a smoke-filled entryway, carrying their loved ones and valuables. According to a neighbor, smoke was billowing out the windows. “It was horrific…very, very sad…It was something out of a nightmare,” said the neighbor.
Illegally Constructed Single Occupancy Rooms in Basement
The Department of Buildings inspected the three-story building and found three illegally constructed single occupancy rooms in the basement, where firefighters found the child. “The child was found in the basement on a bed”, according to Deputy Chief Kenneth Scanlon, FDNY. “It was a hard stretch; there were tight quarters.” There was no secondary means of getting out.
Seven-Year-Old Child in Staten Island Died Earlier in the Week
This is the second child in two days who died in a fire. On Monday, firefighters responded to a call reporting a fire on Brookside Avenue in Castle Corners on Staten Island. A seven-year-old girl injured in the fire was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, according to police.
The cause of both fires is under investigation.
