4 firefighters injured following 5-alarm fire in Van Nest
The fire started in a mechanic shop at 1740 East Tremont Ave. and spread to 1530 Rosedale Ave. and 1532 Rosedale Ave., according to officials.
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Four firefighters were injured while battling a five-alarm fire Saturday afternoon in Van Nest, according to the FDNY.
The fire started in a mechanic shop at 1740 East Tremont Ave. and spread to 1530 Rosedale Ave. and 1532 Rosedale Ave., according to officials.
Fire officials say the fire displaced 16 people.
"I just tried to grab as many things as I could. But I lost everything," said resident Yasmyn Reyes.
Reyes, a mother of three, said she was able to save her children's cribs, some clothing, and a television after a neighbor alerted her about the fire.
"I smelled the smoke, but I ignored it until my neighbor started banging, like, 'let's go it's a fire.' When I stepped outside, the fire was two buildings down, but I felt the smoke in my face," she said.
The FDNY said in a press conference Saturday they received a call of the fire at 11:32 a.m. Crews arrived on site in less than four minutes. Issamoussa Egeio, a mechanic at the auto body shop, said he was inside when the fire broke out.
"When I hear the 'poof', I went back...and then I see the fire," he said.
Egeio waited outside of the shop as firefighters continued to work on the scene.
The American Red Cross was providing assistance to 16 displaced tenants as of Saturday night.
A cause of the fire was not immediately known.
