NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A four alarm fire broke out at a Yonkers apartment building Tuesday night, displacing almost 200 people.
Smoke enveloped surrounding streets as ferocious tongues of fire ate through the roof of a six-story brick apartment complex on Parkview Avenue.
Deputy Fire Chief John Folkerts says the fire appears to have started in a sixth floor apartment, which gave residents below time to evacuate.
“Luckily for us, it wasn't nighttime.,” Folkerts said, “Another hour into the job we would have had people from school and work. It would have been a lot harder. Luckily everybody got yourself evacuated, got out of the building and just had a few people that were pulled out at a later time.”
Everyone managed to get out and no one was hurt.
There is already talk within the department of collecting food, clothing and money.
This was a difficult fire to fight, as it was a prewar building with no sprinklers, and the roof collapsed. Tower ladders attacked from up high.
There was water damage on the lower floors.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause.