One person is dead and several others are injured after a large fire broke out on the 20th floor of a New York City high-rise.
The fire started close to 11 a.m. in Manhattan’s West Side at the Strand Condominium. It took 150 firefighters more than an hour and 40 minutes to fully extinguish the flames. (Via CNN)
Twenty-seven-year-old Daniel McClung was found inside a stairwell along with another unidentified man. McClung had apparently suffered from cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other man is still in critical condition. (Via WABC)
Seven civilians and four firefighters also suffered minor injuries. Residents were told after the fire broke out to stay inside their units, though some say they bolted for the exits after smelling smoke. (Via BBC)
“We started to descend the stairwell. The smoke got thicker and denser and blacker to the point where we couldn’t really see the stairs or in front of us.” (Via New York 1)
A Fire Department spokesman says high-rise residents are commonly told to stay inside their units in the event of a fire. He says the two victims trapped in the stairwell were safe before leaving their apartments. (Via WPTV)
The resident of the apartment where the fire started was reportedly away from his home getting groceries at the time. He told firefighters he had no idea what might have caused the blaze. (Via WNBC)
Before firefighters extinguished the three-alarm fire it spread to two upper floors. Officials have started an investigation into the cause.
