WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11) – At least two people were killed and six injured in a Washington Heights apartment building fire Tuesday morning, according to the FDNY.
The fire broke out around 1:45 a.m. at a six-story building on the 700 block of West 178th Street, right by the George Washington Bridge. Around 140 firefighters and EMS crews responded to the scene, according to the FDNY.
Firefighters went inside the building to search for trapped residents. A 74-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman both died after they were taken to Harlem Hospital, per the FDNY.
Juanita Alexander, a resident, said she first noticed embers falling outside her window and quickly realized a fire was burning above her unit. Her husband and others went into the burning building to try to help her neighbors.
Three firefighters and three civilians were also injured, according to the FDNY. Neighbors told PIX11 News it was a race against time to get themselves and others out of the building before the fire got worse.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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