First look at damage following Fordham fire that injured 12
Firefighters from the FDNY were able to bring the fire under control after about an hour.
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A dramatic rescue unfolded in the Fordham section of the Bronx Wednesday when three men risked their lives to save children from a burning apartment building.
Among them was Muhammed Dukureh, who carried one of the children to safety just moments before an explosion inside.
"I saw the kid was crying, 'Help, help.' So, I rushed and then took the steps," said Dukureh, recalling the harrowing moments when he saw the flames.
Dukureh, a father of two, was walking by when he noticed the fire. He ran up to the second floor and pulled several children to safety.
"I cannot wait to stand and look at those kids...they were boiling inside the fire. I said no,” said Dukureh.
Firefighters from the FDNY were able to bring the fire under control after about an hour. In addition, the American Red Cross is assisting five families who were displaced by the blaze.
As cleanup efforts began, News 12 spoke to Bernadine Leon, a resident who lives directly below the apartment where the fire started.
She showed the damage to her apartment, which had been flooded with water from firefighting efforts.
"All this is water. Feel that," Leon said, pointing to her wet mattress.
Leon now faces the difficult task of replacing her mattress and airing out her bedroom rug.
Though she’s thankful she wasn’t harmed in the fire, she is devastated by the loss of her personal belongings.
"Everything wet. Everything wet," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "I can't explain it because I cry all night, and I don’t want the children to see me cry."
As Bernadine Leon works to salvage what she can, the FDNY continues to investigate the cause of the fire.
