Electrical wiring caused Bronx building fire that displaced over 250 residents
NEW YORK — Electrical wiring caused a five-alarm fire at a Bronx apartment building earlier this month, according to New York City fire marshals.
The blaze broke out at a six-story building on Wallace Avenue around 1:45 a.m. on Jan. 10.
Five firefighters and two residents suffered minor injuries, and over 250 tenants were displaced. The Red Cross said 285 individuals registered for emergency assistance, including dozens of households that required emergency temporary lodging.
DOB issues full vacate order on 2910 Wallace Avenue
Officials say the fire started near the roof and spread throughout the structure. According to the Department of Buildings, 90% of the roof collapsed and there was other significant damage on the upper floors of the building.
The DOB issued a full vacate order on the building.
Some residents told CBS News New York there had been problems in the building for years, including no heat.
"We have a lot of electricity problems, and we also don't have no heating. So a lot of us do have space heaters," resident Nicole Novoa said.
"There's not even a breaker box. It's a fuse, like the little screw-in types," resident Jarixa Guzman said.
A spokesperson for the landlord previously declined to comment on the fire.
