Fire in Manhattan causes part of roof to collapse, forces residents out into cold
A fire on Manhattan's Upper West Side forced residents out into the cold Tuesday morning. The FDNY said two residents and one firefighter were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
The fire started around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday on the top floor of a six-story building on West 107th Street near Amsterdam Avenue.
"This building is a six-story non-fireproof building, with four units per floor," FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said during a news conference at the scene. "Upon arrival, we had heavy, heavy fire on that top floor and through the roof. The fire heavily involved three of those four apartments, and that fourth apartment -- and some of the apartments below -- have heavy, heavy damage."
At this point, it's unclear how many people may have been forced to evacuate.
The city's Office of Emergency Management said it was working with the MTA to bring in warming buses. Temperatures are currently in the 20s, making it a cold morning for residents and first responders.
Manhattan fire causes part of roof to collapse
Chopper 2 flew over the building, where thick smoke could be seen billowing into the sky.
The FDNY shared a photo of the damage on social media, showing part of the roof had collapsed into the sixth floor.
"We had a heavy collapse of the roof space into the top floor, and also of the parapet wall into the street," Woods said on the scene. "We have a collapse zone set up, not only in the street, but on the roof and inside those apartments."
The fire prompted a four-alarm response, with more than 140 fire and EMS personnel on the scene.
Cold temperatures created hazardous conditions
Firefighters could be seen battling the blaze from atop the roof and from ladder trucks below. Officials say they expect to stay on the scene throughout the day. Nearby streets are closed as the firefighting efforts continue.
Fire officials said the cold weather caused their water to freeze on the ground, creating dangerous conditions in the area.
"To begin with, firefighting is physically demanding. In weather like this, as you can see, we're working with our partners [at the] Department of Sanitation trying to spread salt on the street and sidewalk. Many people already took falls," said Woods.
Woods said, at this point, there's no word on a potential cause of the fire.