NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — At least one person was killed, and several others were injured when flames tore through a Manhattan apartment Thursday morning.
The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the NYCHA-run Riis Houses on Avenue D in the East Village around 7 a.m., according to police.
Dramatic video from the scene showed smoke pouring out of one of the windows of the building as teens climbed down an FDNY ladder to escape.
FDNY officials said the first unit responded within four minutes of the first call, but the incident quickly rose to 2-alarms.
“We brought approximately 30 units to the scene and 180 FDNY members,” said Manhattan Borough Commander, FDNY Assistant Chief Michael Ajello.
It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the flames, and once FDNY personnel were able to enter the building, they discovered an unconscious and unresponsive man inside the apartment.
EMS on the scene pronounced the person deceased, NYPD officials said.
Authorities said a 46-year-old woman was also transported to New York Presbyterian-Cornell Hospital in critical condition. It remains unclear what injuries the woman sustained.
An 18-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy were also transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. They were both listed in stable condition.
In total, there were seven civilian injuries and one fatality, according to FDNY officials. Of those injuries, three are life-threatening and four are non-life-threatening.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the FDNY Fire Marshals.
The Medical Examiner will determine the adult man’s cause of death. He identity is being withheld pending family notification.
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