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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Firefighters battled a fire on the top two floors of a high-rise apartment in the Bronx, New York, on Saturday morning.
According to an X post early Saturday morning, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) wrote that the 4-alarm fire took place at 3585 Bivonia Street, a residential street in the Baychester neighborhood of the Bronx.
ABC News said 200 fire and emergency crew members responded to the 17-story apartment building in the early hours of Saturday morning local time.
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Newsweek reached out to the FDNY by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
A 4-alarm fire means the fire required the second most serious allocation of firefighter resources. Fires are rated from 1-alarm (the least serious) to five-alarm (the most). The fire will spark safety concerns for those living in the Bronx and surrounding areas while the causes of the fire will likely be investigated.
What To Know
Social media videos purporting to be from the scene showed flames engulfing the top floors of a high-rise building and plumes of smoke coming out from the top of the building.
The fire was caused by a gas explosion and killed one person and injured 14 others. A dozen apartments are damaged, and the cause of the gas explosion is under investigation. The identity of the person killed has not yet been released.
"It's an incredible tragedy. We're sending all our thoughts to the families involved," Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for housing and planning, said at a morning press conference.
Earlier this month, two firefighters and a civilian suffered minor injuries after a fire broke out at a deli in the Bronx, and spread to apartments above it. That fire took place at 3:30 a.m. in a five-story building.
Meanwhile, in October, a gas explosion in the Bronx caused a partial high-rise building collapse.
What People Are Saying
Vanessa Gibson, a former New York State representative and the Bronx Borough president, wrote on X: "Please pray for our neighbors displaced in the early hours of the morning. This is both devastating and traumatizing."
She added that a reception center had "been opened nearby to register families for immediate services and temporary housing." and that emergency personnel and The American Red Cross were on the scene.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X: "City agencies are responding to a four-alarm fire in the Bronx this morning with a full, coordinated effort. I am with families at a nearby reception center, and we are working with the Red Cross to support displaced residents. FDNY and EMS personnel are on the scene at 3475 Bivona St. — the fire is under control, but searches, inspections, and utility restoration are ongoing. Please avoid the area. My heart is with everyone affected, and I’m deeply grateful to our first responders. We’ll keep New Yorkers updated."
What Happens Next
Local news station PIX11 reported the Red Cross has opened a reception center at the Rosa Parks Educational Campus for those affected by the blaze.
Update 01/24/26, 9:34 a.m. E.T.: This story was updated with additional information.
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