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One dead, another critically hurt in two-alarm fire at Manhattan apartment building
One person died and another was critically injured after a two-alarm fire broke out in a Manhattan apartment building early Monday. The blaze spread in a heavily cluttered third-floor flat, prompting a large emergency response.
Firefighters were called to 660 Riverside Drive at about 1.30am, and a second alarm was raised at 1.47am. A third person had minor injuries and declined treatment; two firefighters were also treated for minor injuries. In total, 46 units and 141 firefighters and emergency medical workers responded. The victims’ identities have not been released, and the cause is under investigation.
In short
- One person died in a Manhattan apartment fire.
- Another victim was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
- The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Explained simply
Riverside Drive is a residential avenue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where apartment buildings house many residents close together. A fire inside one flat can bring a substantial response because crews must reach the affected home while checking for danger elsewhere in the building.
In New York, a “two-alarm” fire means the Fire Department has called in additional resources beyond the initial response; it describes the scale of the emergency response, not the number of fires. The Fire Department is investigating how this blaze began, and the people hurt have not been publicly identified.