According to a report from NBC4, an eight-year-old girl leapt from her sixth-floor terrace to escape heavy flames that had engulfed her apartment on East 169th Street and Third Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, New York. Despite surviving the fall, the girl suffered two broken legs.
Fire Department of New York (FDNY) officials said the fire at the broke out at around 6 p.m. Wednesday night, although the cause is still under investigation. More than 100 FDNY firefighters were needed to extinguish the fire, two of whom suffered minor injuries.
FDNY Deputy Chief Anthony Montera said the girl fortunately jumped to a dirt area rather than to the pavement. Neighbors then huddled around the girl, attempting to keep her calm.
“We responded to an aggressive fire blowing out of the sixth floor window. This was an advanced fire upon arrival and a very difficult fire to extinguish. There was a lot of smoke and a lot of heat. We had about 25 units and 100 Firefighters to get it under control,” said FDNY Deputy Chief Anthony Montera from the scene of the high-rise fire at 540 East 169th Street in the Bronx. “There were two injuries. An individual was severely injured when they jumped from the sixth floor fire apartment prior to our arrival, and one minor injury to fire department personnel.”
The girl was brought to the hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, with neighbors and the fire chief both hopeful she will survive.
One other person in the apartment was also hurt. With the exception of the units burned, hundreds of others were allowed back inside their homes was the fire was doused.
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