Fire in New York claims two lives and dozens have to be evacuated

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (PIX11) — Two people have died in a home that fire investigators described as a “hoarding situation” in which firefighters had to climb over and through rubble in thick smoke to reach the two victims.

It was a dangerous situation that required the evacuation of all residents of the seven-story residential building.

Behind the building at 30 Eastchester Road, a large pile of stuff was on the lawn. The boxes, shoes, stuffed garbage bags and other items had all been thrown out of the third-floor apartment. A look inside showed that despite having enough stuff to fill eight mini dumpsters, the apartment was still full.

On Friday morning around 7:00 a.m. everything caught fire.

“I was so scared,” said Cynthia Restropo, a resident of the building, describing her reaction when she realized that part of her building had just caught fire. “I just changed, put my pants on and left,” she said.

Christopher Gilchrist said the building’s landings filled with smoke and it was immediately clear the situation was life-threatening.

“Everyone started screaming and running around,” he said. “It quickly got crazy.”

Jeremiah Batista and his mother live directly above the apartment that was damaged by the fire.

“I opened the door and there was just this cloud of smoke. I woke up my mom and said, ‘We have to get out of here.'”

They had only moved in four days ago.

“It’s been quite a week,” Batista said.

According to witnesses, a man and a woman were rescued from the two-room apartment by firefighters. The firefighters had to climb over rubble to get to them. The two residents died.

A relative of one of the victims, who wished to remain anonymous, said that there was a third roommate in the apartment who was spared from the crisis. He was on vacation.

Early Friday afternoon, residents attempted to move back into the building after being evacuated half a day earlier.

However, when they returned, they were filled with guilt over the tragedy they had all experienced: they had lost two of their neighbors.

“It’s very sad,” said Sebastian Palancio as he brought his parakeets and other pets back to his family’s home Friday afternoon. “Honestly, I’m sorry they will no longer be part of our community.”

The victims have not yet been identified. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.