Photo courtesy of the FDNY
Eight people were reported injured following a massive fire that ripped through several buildings at 2910 Wallace Avenue in the Allerton section of the Bronx on Friday night, Jan. 9, leaving hundreds displaced. The fire occurred a day after the third anniversary of the tragic Twin Parks blaze killed 17 people, including 8 children in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx in January 2022.
The FDNY said the department received a call at 1.40 a.m. and units were assigned to the location for reports of a fire in a multiple dwelling. A spokesperson said firefightere were able to determine that the fire was located on the top floor of a 6-story multiple dwelling at that location.
The spokesperson said the fire was elevated to a second alarm at 1.53 a.m. to a third alarm fire at 2.11 a.m., to a fourth alarm at 2.23 a.m., and to a fifth alarm fire at 2.49 a.m. Forty-four units comprising 198 personnel responded to the scene according to the FDNY and there were eight injuries (six firefighters and two civilians). Seven of the patients were transported to local hospitals, and one civilian was treated at the scene but refused transport. Operations remain ongoing.
The FDNY provided the following video footage of the scene. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito later said of the blaze, “We arrived here a little after 1:45 this morning. We found fire in the ceiling above the top floor, between the ceiling and the underside of the roof that’s called the cockloft. It’s an open area for the entire length and width of the building. This building is about 200 feet wide, about 100 feet deep, and we had fire throughout that cockloft.”
Screenshot courtesy of the FDNY
He continued, “Heavy fire destroyed all the apartments on the top floor and burnt through the roof. Initially, we had fire companies inside conducting searches, removing people and attempting to fight the fire. The fire had too much headway. It was extremely dangerous for our firefighters. We removed them from the building, and we’re using tower ladders to extinguish the rest of the building, and we’re continuing with that operation. We had no water problems due to the cold, although it is problematic aside from making it very uncomfortable. The wind did play a part in spreading the fire through the cockloft.”
Officials said the cause of the fire is under investigation and both NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM) and the Red Cross have set-up at nearby P.S. 76 to assist those displaced. Any persons impacted who need recovery assistance and have not already connected with Red Cross services should contact 1-877-RED CROSS (1-877-733-2767).
Irene Estrada, Clergy Council of the 49th Precinct, said of the blaze, “Please keep our Allerton community in prayer. I posted early this morning but the post hadn’t gotten approved. The unity in this crisis is the most important thing we, as Bronxites, need.” She also shared the following videos of the scene.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and State Sen. Jamaal Bailey (S.D. 36), Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80) City Council Member Kevin Riley (C.D. 12) joined senior government officials from the FDNY and other departments, including Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker and ECM Commissioner Zach Iscol for a press conference on Friday to discuss the response to the fire.
The mayor said in part, “As you can see, [the fire] is still smoldering. Some of the areas, we’re still dealing with the fire, but you know, thank God, no life-threatening injuries.” He added, “But this was a massive fire, and the wind played a major role in the conditions that we are facing.”
Screenshot courtesy of Irene Estrada
The fire commissioner said, “It’s been a very long and cold morning here in The Bronx. FDNY has been on the scene, as the mayor said, since about 1.45 this morning. We have a five-alarm fire, about 250 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics on the scene. Thank God, no serious injuries to report, and that’s a miracle. This was a very, very large fire, wind-driven, as the mayor said, a very difficult fire for our firefighters to fight under conditions that caused us to have to have lots of relief.”
Iscol later said in part, “The mayor is always talking to us about making sure that we, as a city, operate as one team. That’s exactly what we saw this morning with this response from the remarkable work of our firefighters, the MTA immediately deploying warming buses to keep residents warm, our schools, our partners over at New York City Schools opened up P.S. 76, the [inaudible] school just down the street as a reception center to keep people warm.”
He added, “We have the Red Cross there that is currently registering families and residents. We’ve over 66 families registered, about 180 people, so really an incredible effort by all the agencies here this morning. If you need help or if you need services, we encourage you to reach out to the Red Cross again.”
Doreen Howe, CEO of the Red Cross of Greater New York, later said the affected residents and families had been served breakfast and were being registered. “We expect that number to go up, and we’ll provide emergency assistance, including lodging, connection to the resources that the families need as they plan their next steps in recovering from this disaster. I want to thank our volunteers and staff for being here through the night, working with the families to keep them safe.”
Screenshot courtesy of Irene Estrada
The Red Cross provided a further update as of 2 p.m. saying, “Together with New York City Emergency Management, the Red Cross has opened a reception center at PS76 (900 Adee Ave) to provide a warm place for families to gather and to register for Red Cross emergency services. Meals and other supplies are available for residents at the reception center.”
They added, “As of 2:00 p.m., the team has registered 93 households (254 individuals (57 children/197 adults)) for emergency assistance, including more than 55 households for emergency lodging. This number is expected to continue to grow as our team meets with each family. Residents of 2910 Wallace Ave in the Bronx who have been displaced by this fire and are in need of Red Cross assistance should come to the reception center at P.S. 76 (900 Adee Ave).”
We asked the Red Cross if there was anything Bronxites could do to help. Desiree Ramos Reiner responded, saying, “We have seen an outpouring of support already from the community, which is wonderful and everyone is grateful. In our next update we will provide the list of groups that have been helping.”
Ramos added, “At this time we have not heard of any formal collections for the families, but we will share whatever we learn. The reception center will likely close later today after registration is complete. We will send more details once everything is confirmed.”
The Red Cross provided a further update as of 5.30 p.m. saying by that time, the team had registered 95 households (262 individuals) for emergency assistance, including more than 70 households for emergency lodging. They said the reception center is now closed for the day and Red Cross representatives will be back at P.S. 76 on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for residents who have not yet registered and are in need of assistance.
Photo courtesy of the FDNY
Any residents of 2910 Wallace Ave who have been displaced by the fire and still in need of Red Cross assistance should call 877-Red Cross (Option 1) for assistance overnight on Friday. On Saturday, they should go to P.S. 76 (900 Adee Ave) between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to register.
The Red Cross thanked all entities and agencies who assisted with the response to the fire, including, among many others, the ASPCA/ACC, Not on My Watch, IHOP (Allerton Avenue), Mamma Rosa, and other local community members.
For her part, Gibson thanked all of her colleagues in government and “our incredible first responders” from all the various agencies for responding to the situation. The borough president said in part, “We stand here ready, willing and able to work with our first responders and emergency crew. We know that there were some [victims/responders] that face minor injuries and are likely in a local hospital right now, so we ask New Yorkers and Bronxites to please pray for your neighbors here in Allerton.”
She continued, “We know that these fires are happening far too often across our city, and we will do our very best to make sure that we protect New Yorkers during their time of need over the next several hours, throughout the day, as we continue to register clients and identify their particular needs. They’re our neighbors, they’re our family members, and they are in need of services.”
In response to some questions from the media about the cause of the fire and whether or not a possible lack of heat provision by landlords may have played a part in the blaze, fire officials reiterated that the cause was under investigation. “As for the heat, we haven’t heard that, and we’ll find out about that and get back to you,” they said.
Source: NYC Department of Buildings
In response to another question about civilians possibly resorting to using their ovens to heat their apartment/homes, officials added, “From the FDNY perspective, we would ask people not to do that. It’s cold weather. Obviously, that’s [oven use] a very dangerous situation, can cause fires to happen and we hope that we are sending the message that fire safety in the cold weather is super important, and to report any situations like that to 311 immediately.”
They added, “We have not heard that [oven use] preliminarily but we are going to have [NYC Department of Buildings] DOB and other city agencies look into if there’s a chronic condition [cold]. We’re going to look at if there are 311 calls that were made, what follow-up was conducted, and we’re going to find out what the cause of this fire is.”
City officials added, “First, we need to find out [if] that’s the condition here specifically but in general, it’s unacceptable. We have a heat hotline, and we really want to encourage New Yorkers if landlords are not fulfilling their responsibility and obligations to give proper heat, they should call in and report that, and we do conduct those investigations.” FDNY also warned residents to be careful when using space heaters, providing the following link to fire safety tips.
Source: NYC Department of Buildings
According to City records, the affected building was built in 1930 and appears to be owned by Parkash 2910 LLC, with an address in Jamaica, NY. Recent violations recorded for the building by DOB, including some relating to the building’s boiler, are attached, according to NYC Department of Building records. We are attempting to reach Parkash 2910 LLC for comment and will share any feedback we receive.
We also received an update on DOB’s preliminary assessment of the affected building. A DOB spokesperson said DOB personnel were called to conduct a structural stability inspection. The spokesperson said that at the scene, inspectors determined that the fire had occurred on the rooftop and spread throughout the structure.
“Further investigation revealed extensive fire damage throughout the structure, including holes in the roof, broken windows and collapsed partitions,” the spokesperson said. “Firefighting operations are ongoing. In the interest of public safety and due to the severe extent of the damage, the Department has placed a Full Vacate Order on the building and ordered that a sidewalk shed be constructed around the building. All displaced residents have been offered emergency relocation assistance from the American Red Cross.”
Source: NYC Department of Buildings
Zaccaro Jr. later shared a status update on the rescue operations in effect with his constituents, writing in part, “More than 350+ individuals and families are likely to be displaced from their homes for an unknown period of time. The immediate area remains closed to vehicle traffic. Please keep the surrounding roads clear for emergency vehicles.”
He added, “This is a tragic situation for our community, but I, alongside my colleagues in government, have been on the ground coordinating efforts with the Red Cross and community partners. If you or anyone affected by this fire has any questions, concerns, or has had trouble contacting Red Cross, please call our office for assistance at 718-409-0109. At this time, I welcome everyone to join me in keeping our neighbors in prayer, and ask that we come together to support our community during this very hard time.”
Per Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, donations of new clothes, non-perishable food, and other essential items to help families affected by the fire can be made at the following locations from Monday – Friday, 10 a.m to 4 p.m.:
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson – Bronx Supreme Court
851 Grand Concourse, Suite 123
Bronx, New York 10451
Assembly Member John Zaccaro, Jr. District Office
2018 Williamsbridge Road
Bronx, New York 10461
State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey District Office
959 East 233rd Street
Bronx, New York 10466
City Council Member Kevin C. Riley District Office
940 East Gun Hill Road
Bronx New York 10469
Gene DeFrancis with the Allerton Merchants Association is also collecting donations for the fire victims like new underwear, socks, and backpacks with supplies at Tax Time, 930 Allerton Avenue, Bronx.
GoFundMe has also confirmed that the following donation link, and this one are valid.
Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape. Your quick action can make the difference.”
Another large, 4-alarm fire was reported on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 3030 Heath Avenue in Kingsbridge, as reported, with two minor injuries and dozens more displaced.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that there were no injuries as a result of the fire. This has since been corrected and we apologize for this error.
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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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