An 87-year-old woman died early Thursday in a fire in her 5th floor apartment at 595 Columbus Avenue between 88th and 89th Streets. “It looks like it might have been someone who fell asleep smoking,” an NYPD spokesman said. The woman was found in her bed. “It’s not being looked at as suspicious.”
The fire department got the call at 1:13 a.m. and 78 firefighters responded, according to an FDNY spokesman. Four firefighters sustained minor injured battling the blaze and were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital. The fire was under control as of 1:47 a.m. The cause is still under investigation.
The woman’s name was not released as her family had not yet been notified as of early Thursday morning.
The building, known as Phelps House, is run by Goddard Riverside Community Center. It houses elderly adults and people with mobility impairments.
Photos by Jeff French Segall.
God rest her soul!
This is a home for the elderly. Aren’t they required to have sprinkers, etc.? Especially as the residents are at risk of not being able to evacuate quickly.
I wish WSR can provide an update on why exactly that happened. We appreciate given the premiminary info but the follow up and getting to the core of the issue is what we need from journalism.