A three-alarm fire gutted a Chinatown mixed-use building Friday afternoon, leaving ten injured FDNY sources confirmed.
According to Deputy Chief of New York City Fire Department Tom Currao, a wild inferno began quickly spreading upwards from 47 Mott Street at around 2:30 p.m. Chef Currao declared that the out-of-control blaze was already licking out of the windows by the time firefighters arrived.
“They [FDNY] were met with heavy fire conditions in the front, they had the fire racing up to the front of the building—occupied building, very, very challenging,” Chef Currao explained.
A massive emergency response of some 140 firefighters and EMS personnel arrived to both battle the inferno and help those still inside escape. Two civilians and 8 firefighters suffered minor injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals. Chef Currao said that while the cause is still under investigation, the flames emanated from a commercial business on the first floor.
“It raced up from that commercial area and we moved several victims from the interior of the building,” Chef Currao said.
While the fire was placed under control by the late afternoon, the building south was left ruined, and the residents were forced to find shelter elsewhere with the aid of the Red Cross. FDNY said that firefighters will continue to be posted at the building into the night.
