Apartment fire in University Heights displaces at least 8 tenants
Multiple tenants told News 12 that the fire started in the apartment where a neighbor is not paying rent and has a history of causing concern.
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A fire inside of a five-story apartment building in University Heights has left at least eight people without a home. The FDNY said the fire broke out around noon on Andrews Avenue South between West Burnside Avenue and West 179th Street, which is located across the street from P.S. 396 and M.S. 390.
Citizen app video showed black smoke billowing from the first-floor apartment window.
The FDNY said one person suffered minor injuries but is expected to be OK. Multiple tenants told News 12 that the fire started in the apartment where a neighbor is not paying rent and has a history of causing concern.
“We’ve been trying to get him out,” said Mary Tyson, a tenant. “We called [the landlord]. He’s had generators in there, doesn’t have any electricity, no gas…That’s dangerous. The landlord couldn’t get him out.”
News 12 attempted to confirm that with the landlord on Monday afternoon, but the landlord said he was “too busy” to talk.
The FDNY said the exact cause of the fire is under investigation. The Red Cross said they’re helping at least two households. As of Monday evening, it was unclear exactly how many tenants are displaced.
