A four-alarm fire tore through four apartment buildings in the Bronx Friday night, but residents miraculously escaped unharmed.
The blaze broke out at 10 p.m. at 418 143rd St. in Mott Haven and quickly spread to three adjoining three-story buildings, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Dean Koester said.
“It was moving pretty fast,” Koester said.
A total of 168 firefighters responded and the blaze was under control by midnight, the FDNY said.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital.
Koester said fire marshals were probing the cause.
Hector Cintron, 73, who has lived at 420 143rd St. for three years, said he was watching television when he smelled smoke, alerted his neighbors and ran for his life.
The fire broke out at 10 p.m. Friday night. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post
Building resident Gabriel Rema said “everything is destroyed.” Tomas Gaston“I just took my Bible and took my pens and put it in my pocket,” Cintron said. “I took my birth certificate from Puerto Rico and I just came out.”
Gabriel Rema, a 17-year resident of 420 143rd St., said he heard people yelling “Get out, get out, get out.”
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries from the blaze. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post“Everything is destroyed. What can I do?” Rema said, noting he took only his medication with him. “It’s all gone.”
