NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Two people were killed and two injured in a Bronx fire on Wednesday morning—the second deadly fire this week in which firefighters were blocked by a car illegally parked in front of a hydrant.
The fire broke out around 6 a.m. at two residential buildings on Anthony Avenue, near East 180th Street, in the Mount Hope section. One of the buildings also houses the USA Buddhayaram Temple.
The inferno killed one person at the scene and another who was pronounced dead at a hospital, the FDNY said. The two victims were in the building next to the one with the temple. They have not yet been identified.
All the more tragic—the FDNY said firefighters had again struggled to reach the nearest fire hydrant because someone had parked in front of it illegally.
“The closest hydrant to the fire is blocked by parked cars,” the FDNY wrote on X along with a photo of the car.
FDNY Chief John Esposito said from the scene that “we did unfortunately have a car parked on the closest fire hydrant.”
“We’ve seen that now a couple times in the last week or so throughout the city,” Esposito said. “We all know we should not be parking on fire hydrants. When you park on fire hydrants, it slows us down, and when we're fighting a fire, seconds count.”
About 150 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene, and the fire was under control before 9 a.m. The cause is under investigation.
FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker wrote on X that it was "shameful that people would put their convenience over public safety."
"It is bigger than a parking violation – this is life and death. Your actions matter. Think before you make the decision to park on a fire hydrant," Tucker said.
On Sunday morning, several illegally parked cars impacted the FDNY’s response to a fire in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Two cars were parked in front of the closest fire hydrants, and a third car was double parked on the street, making it difficult for firefighters to navigate the scene. A 37-year-old man died and a woman and young boy were injured.
“Seconds count in an emergency,” the FDNY wrote on X along with photos of the illegally parked vehicles.
The department posted a new PSA on Tuesday to "remind New Yorkers to never block fire hydrants."
It's illegal to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrants. Call 311 to report a blocked or improperly opened fire hydrant. For more information, go to FDNYSmart.org.