Over 100 firefighters battled a three-alarm fire early this morning in the Bronx.
FDNY and EMS say the building where the fire broke out at East 165th Street and Prospect Avenue is abandoned so no one was hurt.
FDNY 19th Battalion Chief Brian Davan said the fire broke out before 3 a.m. He said firefighters first started battling the fire on the inside. When they realized the building was vacant and because of the amount of flames, they moved to fight it from the outside by pouring water in.
Davan said the wind and the wintry weather affected everything and made it more challenging to get the flames under control, which they finally did around 5 a.m. He says firefighters remained in a defensive position since the building continued to burn for many hours.
The owner of the building next door said he's filed a number of complaints with the Department of Buildings because people tend to enter the empty building at night.
Davan said he didn't know the circumstances of this building but that it's not uncommon for people, sometimes who are homeless, to find shelter in vacant spots.
The chief said the Department of Buildings and Housing, Preservation and Development will demolish the building in the next few days. Streets will be blocked off, and it is recommended to avoid the area.