NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 72-year-old woman died in a fire of a high-rise building in East Harlem Wednesday night—after firefighters had to climb 19 floors due to elevator issues.
The fire department received a call around 7 p.m. about a blaze at the East 122nd Street building. Over 100 fire and EMS personnel responded.
According to FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Abbamonte, firefighters were met with a difficult situation, having to climb the stairs with their gear due to the inoperable elevators. It was "very challenging to get up there carrying all the gear up 19 floors," he said.
The victim was found in her apartment on the 19th floor and was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her identity has not yet been released.
Deputy Chief Abbamonte also noted the apartment had "heavy clutter," which made the search for the victim more difficult.
A resident of the building who uses a wheelchair told NBC New York that the elevators had been out of service for two weeks.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.