Highlights:
- Fire began on the first floor of Engine 79 firehouse.
- Firefighters trapped on the second floor sheltered in place per training.
- Total injuries reported: 14, all minor.
- One firefighter was confirmed hospitalized at Jacobi.
UPDATED (9:21 a.m. ET):
NEW YORK — FDNY Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said firefighters were rescued after a fire broke out inside Engine 79 in the Bronx on March 27.
Bonsignore said in a press conference at the scene that firefighters were inside the firehouse when the fire was detected on the first floor. One firefighter quickly alerted everyone inside, prompting an evacuation.
Some firefighters on the second floor were unable to escape using the stairway and instead followed safety protocols by sheltering in a front room and closing the door, Batonor said.
The move gave them enough time to remain safe until additional fire units arrived and helped evacuate them. A few minor injuries were reported, but all personnel were accounted for and safe, officials said.
Bonsignore said fire service in the neighborhood would continue without interruption despite the incident.
Chief of Department John Esposito said the fire started around 6 a.m. and was spotted by the firefighter on house watch.
The fire began on the first floor and spread to the Engine 79 apparatus parked inside the building before extending up a stairwell next to the truck.
That spread made it difficult for firefighters on the second floor to evacuate, Esposito said.
He said Ladder 56 carried out the rescue, using portable and aerial ladders to remove firefighters from second-floor windows.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
EARLIER:
NEW YORK — A three-alarm fire tore through a Bronx firehouse and initially led to reports that firefighters were trapped inside.
The fire began just after 6 a.m. on March 27 in the quarters of Engine Company 79, Ladder Company 37 and Battalion 27 on Briggs Avenue in Bedford Park, ABC 7 reported.
In the online forum NYCFire.net, the initial call received a full box alarm assignment of four engine companies, four truck companies, using two as the ‘Firefighter Assist and Search Team,’ a rescue company, a squad company and additional chiefs and support units.
The incident quickly escalated to a second- and third-alarm, along with the assignment for missing or trapped firefighters.
Battalion 19 reported that all members assigned to the firehouse were accounted for and were not involved in fighting the fire. The forum noted the fire was on the second and third floors.
The third alarm assignment, as well as the companies responding to the report of trapped firefighters, were placed in service.
Two firefighters suffered injuries, according to 12 News, though officials did not immediately provide details on their conditions.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This story will be updated.
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