One person is dead and another in critical condition following a three alarm fire Sunday morning inside a West Midtown apartment building.
View of the fire as seen from a NY1 viewer
FDNY officials at the scene tell NY1 it began around 11 a.m. inside 500 West 43rd Street, also known as The Strand.
Flames and debris could be seen shooting out of the 20th floor apartment from Tenth Avenue and nearby buildings.
It took around 150 firefighters more than an hour and a half to get the flames under control.
Fire officials say no one was inside the apartment at the time.
Two male victims, ages 27 and 32, were later found in a stairwell on the 31st floor.
Police say the 27-year-old was taken to St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital where he later died.
The Medical Examiner is working to determine the cause of death.
The 32-year-old was taken to New York Presbyterian in critical condition.
Fire officials say they suffered from smoke inhalation and other possible injuries.
Seven other residents suffered minor injuries.
One family that lives inside the building told NY1 they wasted no time getting themselves to safety.
“So, sorta panicked. We grabbed coats, I don’t have shoes on or socks, and we ran to the stairwell, and we started to descend the stairwell but the smoke got thicker and denser and blacker to the point where we couldn’t see the stairs or in front of us,” said one resident.
“Many people self-evacuated. We try to give advice to stay in the apartment. In these types of buildings it’s very important to stay in the apartment, in a fire-proof high-rise building designed to prevent fire extension,” said FDNY Assistant Chief John Sudnick.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
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