3rd body found in Bronx apartment building days after deadly explosion, fire, officials say

A third body was found Saturday in the Bronx apartment building where a deadly fire broke out earlier this week, officials say.

The FDNY says there was "some sort of explosion" Wednesday afternoon at the building on East 209th Street near Decatur Place in the Norwood section.

Surveillance video captures glass and debris being blown across the street by the blast.

A fire then broke out, engulfing multiple floors and growing to five alarms. Hundreds of first responders spent hours battling the blaze. The FDNY eventually had to pull crews out of the building after a third-floor apartment collapsed into the second floor.

One body was found inside the building on the day of the fire, and a second was found Friday.

Officials have not released the victims' identities, but a relative told CBS News New York she believes they are her aunt and uncle – Mary Ann Martin, 65, and Lester Martin, 70.

The FDNY confirmed a third victim was found dead in the building on Saturday afternoon. Further details, including the victim's identity, have not been released at this time.

Resident Rosalie Serrano told CBS News New York she fears the victim could be her neighbor.

"When I got here, they realized there was another body, and I don't know what to say," she said. "It was in a body bag, but it looked small. And I'm a small person, and my neighbor, the one that was missing, was small like me, so it looked like a little person, so I'm assuming it was him."

"Even one body is a sad scene, but to find out there's a third body, it's terrible," property manager Marc Katz said.

Fire marshals told Katz they're still searching the building to make sure there are no more victims inside.

"I hope they don't find nobody else," Serrano said.

Twelve other people were hurt, according to fire officials. Two civilians suffered life-threatening injuries, and three civilians and three firefighters suffered serious injuries. Three additional firefighters suffered minor injuries, as did one civilian who refused medical transport.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Contractors spent Saturday working to stabilize the building as fire marshals gathered evidence. Video taken by Norwood News showed fire marshals entering the building with a K9.

The Red Cross was assisting 45 people who were displaced by the fire. Neighbors in the area, including Yolanda Njie, came out to help impacted residents.

"I was giving support to the lady, trying to give her some resources," she said.

The managing agent of the building says he's hoping to get residents back inside next week so they can go through their belongings to see if anything is salvageable.