At least 2 dead and 6 injured in fire in Manhattan: FDNY

Erin Pflaumer and Justin Finch

52 mins ago

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11) – At least two people were killed and six injured in a fire at an apartment building in Washington Heights Tuesday morning, according to the New York Fire Department.

The fire broke out at around 1:45 a.m. in a six-story building in the 700 block of West 178th Street, right next to the George Washington Bridge. According to the New York Fire Department, around 140 firefighters and rescue workers responded to the scene.

Firefighters entered the building to search for trapped residents. A 74-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman both died after being taken to Harlem Hospital, the FDNY said.

Juanita Alexander, a local resident, said she first saw embers falling outside her window and quickly realized there was a fire burning above her apartment. Her husband and others went into the burning building to help their neighbors.

Three firefighters and three civilians were also injured, according to the FDNY. Neighbors told PIX11 News it was a race against time to get themselves and others out of the building before the fire got worse.