Massive Bronx fire destroys Buddhist temple, 2 dead: FDNY
FDNY reveals cause of deadly Bronx fire
Now the FDNY has figured out what caused the deadly fire in the Bronx that destroyed a Buddhist temple Wednesday morning. Fire marshalls say it was accidental caused by a space heater. FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovas has the details.
BRONX - Two people have died, and a Buddhist temple has been destroyed after a massive fire broke out in the Bronx on Wednesday, the FDNY said.
When did the fire erupt?
What we know:
Firefighters said they arrived at the scene around 6 a.m. along Anthony Avenue in the Tremont section.
More than 150 firefighters fought off those flames by 8:30 a.m., but were not able to save the two people who were living next door to the temple.
FOX 5 has been told that one of the victims is a Buddhist monk.
The FDNY said the fire was caused by a space heater that was close to bedsheets and curtains.
The FDNY said that a red Chevrolet was blocking the closest hydrant, which delayed their work.
FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovas spoke with the owner of the red sedan who says she had a boot on her car from parking in front of this hydrant in the past and couldn’t get the boot removed in time. She also said once she realized there was a fire across the street she didn’t want to go outside and put herself or her kids in danger.
"I had a boot from yesterday, but I had to wait for it to be processed in the system for me to be able to pay for it," the car owner said. "Yesterday, when I tried, it was too many attempts. So I did it this morning early. So I have the cold for the boot and when I came out the house was on fire already and I had my kids with me, so I wasn't going to hurry up and put the boot on and then drive away. That's not safe."
FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovas said that the car had been towed.
"We did unfortunately have a car parked on the closest fire hydrant. We’ve seen that now a couple of times in the last week throughout the City. We all know that we should not be parking on fire hydrants and when you park on fire hydrants, it slows us down. When we’re fighting a fire, seconds count," FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said in a post on X.
What we don't know:
The FDNY hasn't said whether they could have saved lives if one of the cars wasn't parked near the hydrant.
It is unclear if any charges have been made against the driver.
The Source: This article contains reporting from FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovas and the FDNY.