Neighbors woke up to an active scene as firefighters battled the flames that broke out on the 10th floor of the building at 1970 East Tremont Ave. just after 1 a.m.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Two people are dead and six people are recovering in the hospital after a fire ripped through an apartment building in the Parkchester section of the Bronx early Saturday morning.
Neighbors woke up to an active scene as firefighters battled the flames that broke out on the 10th floor of the building at 1970 East Tremont Ave. just after 1 a.m.
“I heard this morning the fire truck was going on screaming and screaming, I didn’t know what’s going on,” building resident Errol Barrett told CBS2’s Reena Roy.
When smoke cleared and things got under control in the 13-story tower, police say 75-year-old John Quinones was found unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi.
“I was shocked,” Barrett said. “Very, very shocked.”
A second man who wasn’t immediately identified was found deceased in the hallway.
Four other civilians were hurt — two in serious condition and two critical — plus two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.