Women confined to wheelchair and elderly husband killed in massive NYC blaze: officials
An elderly couple was killed when a fire ripped through their Upper Manhattan apartment building early Tuesday, officials said.
A 77-year-old woman confined to a wheelchair and her 73-year-old husband were found inside their apartment on the top floor of the six-story building as firefighters responded to the three-alarm blaze on West 178th Street near Broadway in Washington Heights around 1:45 a.m., according to officials and reports.
“One [victim] was found in the front room,” FDNY Deputy Chief of Special Operation Malcolm Moore told reporters. “Once the units were able to battle past the heavy fire condition, throughout a large portion of the apartment, there we found the second victim, we believe the male, in the back room.”
Both elderly victims were taken to Harlem Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
They were not immediately identified by police, pending family notification.
Family friend Ines Cabrera told WABC that the woman killed in the inferno was disabled, used a wheelchair and was likely unable to escape.
Six other people were hurt in the fire, including three firefighters and three civilians, all of whom suffered minor injuries, officials said.
The fire extended down to the fifth floor, with some minor flames even seen on the third-floor window frames, Moore said.
Thirty-three FDNY units responded to the scene, including 140 Fire and EMS personnel, the department said.
The blaze was placed under control about two hours after it erupted, and its cause remained under investigation later in the day.
