A fire at Southbridge Towers early in the morning of Sat., Dec. 12 injured one woman and heavily damaged an apartment on the 19th floor.
Sixty firefighters responded to the alarm at 90 Gold St. shortly after 5 a.m. and brought the fire under control within half an hour, said Frank Dwyer, F.D.N.Y. spokesperson. One woman, who neighbors said occupied the apartment where the fire started, was taken to Long Island College Hospital. Dwyer described her condition as non-life-threatening and said she likely had smoke inhalation.
Dwyer did not know the cause of the fire, but several Southbridge residents said they had heard it was caused by a cigarette.
Ione Monk, who lives two floors below the apartment where the fire started, said she was awakened on that morning by the smell of smoke, and then she realized that her feet were wet. When she turned on her lights, she saw that water had flooded her apartment in several places and damaged her new floor. Monk and a resident who lived just above the fire said they could smell fumes for days afterward.
— Julie Shapiro
