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Teen Charged in Fordham Heights Blaze That Left Two Dozen Homeless

Firefighters battle a three-alarm fire that broke out on the top floor of a building on Cedar Avenue on Saturday. (Photo by David Greene)

Law enforcement officials say a teen fighting with her mother intentionally set a blaze that injured a half-dozen firefighters and left two dozen residents of a Fordham Heights building homeless.

Fire marshals questioned resident Princess Martinez, 19, who reportedly confessed to setting the blaze after having a heated argument with her mother. The teen allegedly set fire to a mattress before exiting the apartment. The mother escaped unharmed.

Martinez was later charged with arson and remains held on $100,000 bail.

Firefighters were called to the six-story building at 2254 Cedar Ave., at West Fordham Road, at just before 9 a.m., on Saturday, April 6, when the fire broke out on the fifth floor. It quickly spread to the top floor and roof.

One woman, visibly shaken, said, “[Firefighters] said that someone set the fire and we lost everything.”

The fire victim added that many years ago another intentional blaze was set inside the same apartment.

It took 150 firefighters more than an hour and a half to stop the blaze, which damaged three apartments and forced dozens of residents, including Metropolitan Opera singer Andrey Nemzer, to evacuate.

Six firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

Fire marshals would later question Princess Martinez, 19, who reportedly confessed to setting the blaze after having a heated argument with her mother. The teen allegedly set fire to a mattress before exiting the apartment. The mother escaped unharmed.

Martinez was later charged with arson and remains held on $100,000 bail.

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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