by KERRY BURKE, EDGAR SANDOVAL and ETHAN ROUEN
A smoky, three-alarm blaze injured more than a dozen people - including seven firefighters - at a lower East Side high-rise Thursday night, officials said.
Two tenants were in serious condition after being pulled from the 26-story apartment building on Grand St. shortly after 7:30p.m., FDNY officials said.
"A lot of apartment residents have been coming out in stretchers because of the smoke inhalation," said Dashia Lopez, head of the tenant association.
The fire started in Camillo Correia's third-floor unit while the family was out. "I looked up and my bedroom was up in flames," said Correia, 32, a father of two. "The worst thing is losing my kids' pictures and videos. Those things you can't replace. I'm just glad we're all safe and sound."
Five civilians and seven firefighters suffered minor injuries. The stubborn blaze took about an hour to extinguish.
FDNY Deputy Chief James Daly said some of the injured "came down in an elevator, and it opened on the fire floor. Nobody should ever do that."
Naomi Pena and her two young sons were trapped in their 18th-floor apartment with smoke pouring in until firefighters arrived. "It was really scary," said her 7-year-old, Jonah Torres. "I grabbed my mother's arm and put a blanket on my nose."
 |
