Claremont fire displaces families after bodega blaze on Findlay Avenue
The fire reached five-alarms, prompting a response from over 100 firefighters to battle the blaze.
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Some neighbors in the Claremont section of the Bronx are being forced to start over after a massive fire tore through a building on Findlay Avenue early Monday morning. Firefighters struggled for hours to knock down the blaze, which heavily damaged the building and displaced multiple families.
The fire broke out around 3:15 a.m. inside the bodega on the ground floor. Residents say thick smoke quickly filled the building, forcing people to flee their apartments in the middle of the night.
Musah Abdul was asleep when the fire started below his apartment. He says it was not a smoke alarm that woke him, but smoke pouring into his home. Panicked, he woke his wife and their 2-month-old daughter and tried to guide them out.
“When I woke them up, they were also crying because they couldn’t see anything. I had to tell them, 'Everybody hold me.' I was touching to find out where the door was. After I get out, I realized that I thank God, well whatever happens, we made it outside,” Abdul said.
No one was killed in the fire. Two firefighters and one other person were injured and are expected to be OK, according to officials.
Another displaced resident, Maria Reveron, said the fire changed everything in a matter of hours.
“I’m very grateful because, you know, we were all sleeping we wasn’t expecting this to turn our life upside down in one night,” Reveron said.
The lack of working smoke detectors was not the only issue. Firefighters were also slowed down by three vehicles parked in front of fire hydrants.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who arrived at the scene Monday morning, called the situation unacceptable.
“There are some things that are out of our control as New Yorkers. There are some things, however, that are within our control and that includes whether you are parking at a fire hydrant that includes whether a landlord is violating the law and not having working smoke detectors in every single unit,” Mamdani said.
More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze for about four hours.
Abdul says when he made it outside, the reality of what he had lost began to sink in.
“It was flames and smoke. After I got down, I realized my apartment is gone. There’s no way I can get it back,” he said.
Despite losing his home, Abdul says he is grateful his family survived.
“I’m really happy about that, that is the most important thing,” he said.
A shelter has been set up at William Taft High School for displaced residents. The Red Cross and other agencies are providing food, clothing, and a safe place to stay. Fire marshals are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.
The Red Cross registered 29 households, including 64 adults and 26 children, for emergency assistance.
