Three firefighters are recuperating from their injuries following a two-alarm fire on Friday, May 18, in the Harding Park section of the southeast Bronx, near Clason Point. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

During a press conference on Friday, May 17, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh gave an update on the incident which unfolded at 344 White Plains Road at around 3 p.m., along with Chief John Hodgens, FDNY chief of department. Adams said two of the firefighters were in serious but stable condition and one was injured, but in stable condition.

 

Hodgens said, “In The Bronx today [Friday, May 17], we had a private dwelling fire, a private home, two stories, and another home adjacent to it, a similar two-story building. When the firefighters arrived, one of the buildings was heavily involved in fire. We had fire in the basement, the first floor, and the second floor. The engine company brought the hose. Before they went into the building, they quickly hit the outside of the building to stop the fire from spreading to the adjacent home. That was a successful operation.”

 

Hodgens continued, “As they worked their way into the first floor, there was a heavy heat and smoke condition, and they were searching for fire and operating the hose line. One of the firefighters who was holding the nozzle was complaining during the operation that he was having a difficult time breathing. The officer was right there with him, and they kept operating. When the firefighter said it again, the officer said, okay, you have to leave the building. The nozzle man passed off the nozzle to the backup firefighter who was right there next to him, and he began to leave the building.”

 

The chief added, “As he was leaving, he fell down and went unconscious. The officer noticed that right away, immediately transmitted a mayday, which brings more help to get this firefighter out of the building. As they were removing him, Rescue Company 3 from the Bronx came up the stairs into the building and assisted getting this firefighter out as quickly as possible. When they got him out onto the sidewalk, he was not breathing. He was in respiratory arrest.”

 

He concluded, “Quickly, our EMS members went to work. They were there, and they immediately administered […] hydroxocobalamin, which probably would save his life. At the same time, they were resuscitating him for his respiratory arrest. He’s here now. He’s awake, alert, receiving great care from the Jacobi staff. All in all, this is a much better outcome than we thought it would be.”

 

Kavanagh said the units responded in under five minutes, and that when one of the members gave a mayday, meaning a member was critically injured, the affected firefighter was pulled out of the fire unconscious and was tagged as a “red tag.”  She said two EMS lieutenants began resuscitation and administering hydroxocobalamin. “It is truly a lifesaver,” Kavanagh said. “It was administered to him right away, and it does reverse the effect of cyanide poisoning, which is present in smoke inhalation. We do believe that may have saved his life.”

For his part, Adams said, “I just really want to thank Jacobi Hospital.” He added, “This is the second time I’ve been here at the hospital this week. This hospital has continuously responded, not only to everyday citizens here in The Bronx, but to our first responders over and over again. I want to just thank the team for the level of professionalism that they show and just continuous operations during these times of emergency.”

 

The mayor continued, “I think all New Yorkers appreciate the level of expertise that our firefighters bring and how not only are they there for the residents of the home, but for each other as well.” He also thanked those EMS members who arrived at the scene and quickly rendered life-saving care.

 

“They are truly New York City’s best,” said Adams. “Our first responders should know that they have the full support of the people of the city and they appreciate how committed they are to doing their job. Today’s incident is a reflection and a reminder of how dangerous the job of a firefighter is and how they are really optimum professionals in responding and dealing with these crises. On behalf of the people of this city, I want to thank them for their courage, their commitment to the city, and dedication to ensuring the safety of all of the innocent people who were able to leave the scene without any injuries.”

 

Kavanagh also thanked EMS, whose actions, she said, were probably the reason that the firefighter was alive. “It truly takes a team, and that team did everything today to make this a good outcome and not a sad one for us,” she said. “We’re very grateful for that. I cannot stress enough how dangerous this job is and how quickly it can go wrong. The dangers are fast and hard, and conditions can change in an instant. A typical fire can become atypical, as it did today.”

 

She concluded, “We are incredibly grateful for the entire team here and in the Fire Department. I also just want to point out that today kicks off EMS week, so it is certainly a day to thank and appreciate our members of EMS throughout the city. Please go to your local station and thank EMS and fire today. Today is a day they would love to hear it and would appreciate it. We really can’t thank everybody enough.”

It was confirmed that the red-tag firefighter was stable and was due to be held overnight for monitoring, the “orange-tag” firefighter was treated and stable and was likely to go home Friday evening, and the “green-tag” firefighter was already treated and released. There were no civilian injuries, and five civilians were displaced from their homes and were rehoused by Red Cross.

 

Read our recent story regarding three Bronx e-bike fires which broke out over the course of 12 days here. New York City Council voted to pass additional e-bike safety rules to address the dangers of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in February 2024.

 

New laws have also been introduced at a federal and State level to address fire safety prevention and the hazards of lithium-ion batteries and e-bikes. Click here for details of a prior federal recall of 53,000 scooters due to a fire hazard involving the deaths of two children.

 

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips on the use of lithium-ion batteries.