Three firefighters hurt while responding to Bronx fire

Three firefighters are hurt and five people are displaced following a large blaze in the Bronx.

“I just saw fire. You see, now it’s pitch black. It was fire and the wires from the electricity was exploding. And the neighbors said move away from the house and that’s what I did,” Aurelia, who lived in the home where the fire happened, said.

Officials said the fire broke out Friday afternoon inside a private two-story home on White Plains Road in the Cason Point neighborhood.

As fire personnel entered the home, they were greeted with heavy smoke. Officials said one firefighter complained of having difficulty breathing.

“As he was leaving, he fell down and went unconscious,” FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said.

Officials said the firefighter went into respiratory arrest. EMS members quickly jumped into action, resuscitating the firefighter and giving him a drug used to treat cyanide toxicity — a serious complication of smoke inhalation.

“Hydroxocobalamin is administered when we believe someone might have smoke exposure because it is so powerful and the sooner they use it, the more likely it is to save a life,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said.

Two other firefighters were also hurt — one was treated for serious injuries and is now in stable condition. The other was also treated and released.

“We are praying for their recovery and I think all New Yorkers appreciate the level of expertise that our firefighters bring, and how not only are they there for the residents of the home but for each other as well,” Mayor Eric Adams said.

The Fire Marshall will determine what caused the fire. Meanwhile, no civilians were hurt and the Red Cross is helping the five people who were displaced.