Three-alarm fire devastates Melrose home, displaces families
Firefighters responded shortly after 2 p.m. to the 600 block of East 160th Street, where neighbors reported hearing a loud explosion before flames engulfed the home.
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A three-alarm fire tore through a private home in Melrose Friday afternoon, sending a massive plume of smoke over the Bronx and displacing multiple residents, according to the FDNY.
Firefighters responded shortly after 2 p.m. to the 600 block of East 160th Street, where neighbors reported hearing a loud explosion before flames engulfed the home.
“The whole house was engulfed in minutes,” one neighbor told News 12.
The FDNY said crews launched an aggressive rescue operation after reports that a family may have been inside the building. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, searching for pockets of fire and any signs of occupants.
Despite the intensity of the fire, no injuries were reported.
The American Red Cross says it is assisting at least eight displaced residents, including three children.
For nearby resident Lorraine Hume, the fire sparked a frantic search for her 4-month-old cat, Snowball, who was trapped inside her apartment as flames threatened to spread through the building.
“It’s horrifying for me. She’s my baby, but I still trust God,” Hume said.
Hours later, firefighters were able to reunite Hume with her pet.
“Thank you, NYC Fire Department. God bless each and every one of you for the work that you do,” she said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by FDNY fire marshals.
