Woman, 73, found dead as FDNY puts out fire in Bronx building
Police are investigating the death of a 73-year-old woman whose body was discovered as firefighters evacuated a Bronx apartment building during a massive fire, officials said Saturday.
The woman was found in a sixth-floor apartment in the Sheridan Ave. building near E. 172nd St. in the Concourse section of the Bronx after the four-alarm fire broke out around 3 p.m. Friday.
The fire started on the same floor, spread into the space between the ceiling and the roof of the building and damaged two apartments. However, the house where the dead woman was found was not affected by any flames, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Duggan said at a news conference Friday evening.
There was no apparent trauma to the body, an NYPD law enforcement source said. It is unclear how long the victim has been dead and his name was not immediately released.
The city’s medical examiner has scheduled an autopsy to determine the circumstances of the woman’s death.
Her death, Duggan said, was a “separate incident unrelated to the fire.”
“We had to open the ceilings from the bottom and also from the top,” the chief said, explaining how the FDNY put out the fire. “We cut the roof off to completely extinguish the fire in that area.”
Nine people, including three firefighters and four police officers, were slightly injured by smoke inhalation. The injured first responders were treated at local hospitals, while the two injured residents refused medical assistance, authorities said.
Around 170 firefighters and SAMU responded to the scene.
The fire was brought under control within three hours.
FDNY firefighters were tasked with trying to determine what started the fire.
