By Gus Saltonstall
One person was hospitalized after a fire broke out Saturday night on the Upper West Side, FDNY confirmed to West Side Rag.
The blaze ignited around 8:30 p.m. within an apartment on the 15th floor of 185 West End Avenue, which is part of the Lincoln Towers apartment complex on West End Avenue between West 66th and 70th streets, FDNY said.
A total of 80 firefighters responded to the scene and were able to get the flames under control by 9:30 p.m., FDNY said.
There was a significant response Saturday night to the fire by first responders along West End Avenue, which prompted multiple people to reach out to the Rag.
One person was taken to Mount Sinai West in connection with the fire, but FDNY did not have information as of Sunday morning on that person’s identity or condition.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, FDNY added.
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unfortunately that building has no superintendent or competent management right now. Many residents were not notified and arrived home to find their building in flames. We had friends across the street that called us at dinner to tell us; we never received an email notice or text message from any managers. wondering if an attorney is appropriate now. Any advice? Thank you.
“building in flames”?! This is simply untrue. The fire was contained to one apartment. I live in 185 and received an automated call from mgmt at 10:09 and an email at 10:41. Of the many things FDNY and Mgmt needed to do that evening, getting a text to me at 8:31 was not one of them. How different we are: I consider myself lucky not to have been home as all of this occurred.
This is a really asinine take on the situation. I also live in 185 WEA and also arrived home to find the fire trucks and chaos. However, I understand that in the event of a fire emergency life safety is priority followed by property safety. You being notified by building management so you could rush home would not have helped the situation. What would YOU being there have done? It’s just more people in the way of the first responders. In addition, if you were familiar with our fire response plan you would know that our building is concrete and rated “non-combustible” meaning its unlikely to spread to other units (smoke and water are obviously different). When I arrived I found the fire fighters wrapping up and our building staff hard at work helping everyone on site- like those who had to evacuate the surrounding apartments/floors (far more important in those moments than people out to dinner). It was chaos and they did a great job. Especially since it was a Saturday night (not during business hours when there are more staff on site). Once the people onsite were situated they started sending out the notices. Shout out to our staff who were on site that night. I know they had a really long night cleaning up the water and helping everyone affected.
To “Gigi”
Apparently you didn’t need to be hospitalized or have falling glass on your terrace or water pouring down or your window blown out or your kids scared and confused. Lucky you.
To “Lejabe”- I thought you were at dinner? I didn’t realize you were hospitalized, my apologies. You should teach your kids about what to do during emergencies, or if they are too young, then make sure their babysitter is aware. Seems like standard parenting. If glass and water and were falling on them they should have evacuated and their babysitter could have called you. Sounds like your anger is misdirected at whatever adult you let in charge of your children. Or if there was no adult with your kids, then perhaps yourself.
I don’t think that happened to Lejabe.
Yep, that comment clearly made no sense. Anyone in units who would have been impacted by water or broken glass would have been evacuated – even if management was totally incompetent, FDNY would have insisted those residents be contacted if they didn’t answer their doors. And if anyone left children at home alone who were too young to call and let their parents know something was happening – how is that the building’s fault? Trying to make unfortunate occurrences be all about you is not a good look.
If the building had a super what would he have done? If everyone in the buildong had received a text real time what would have been different?
Apparently the super should have rescued her kids from falling glass and water. Lets sue!
Try and get a whole group of people to get an attorney together. That’s terrible negligence on the part of the management.
What exactly are the damages they suffered except for the anxiety in their own heads?
I live one floor down on other side of the floor. I was home. There was smoke, but the fire damage was only in the apartmemt. The building definitely was not in flames! There is water damage. Are you on Building Link? I was getting phone msgs and emails.
There have been 3 major fires in my building in the 20+ years I’ve been living here and you don’t get texts or emails in real time. And you have no damages so no, don’t try to hire an attorney.
attorney for what? Maybe just think and be hopeful that nobody got seriously injured.
I watched from my balcony across the way and never saw “the building in flames.”
I live in 165 WEA – building next door. I did not see any police presence helping to block off WEA from traffic to allow the fire department and ambulances to do their work. Firefighters were crossing the street, in the dark and rain, while cars, taxis, delivery people on bicycles, buses, were trying to travel on the block. With that much FDNY activity, the street between 70th and 66th should have been blocked to traffic.
In the 1960’s, my best friend lived at 165 WEA. At that time the building felt space-agey compared to my home in a pre-war building nearby. What enchanted me most was that there were no “buttons” to push in the elevators–they were activated by the heat of the slightest touch of a finger. In years to come, it was outlawed because it presented a huge fire hazard! But when we were ten, decades before computers–even touch-tone phones were a novelty– it seemed magical. You could select a floor just by blowing at it!
Why? If the fire was confined to a single apartment, and they were able to get the needed equipment into the building and up to the 15th floor, why would they need to close off the street?
To ensure the safety of the emergency personnel. There were fire trucks and ambulances on both sides of West End Avenue stretching from 66th to 70th street and emergency personnel trying to cross WEA to get into the building., carrying equipment. They were dodging traffic, cars, buses, bicycles. I was watching the whole time.
Closing the street is an extremely simple matter and I can’t believe that if they felt it was necessary to safely carry out their tasks they wouldn’t have done it.
Because there were two dozen emergency vehicles on both sides of West End Avenue, some at a diagonal to the curb. There was barely one lane open.
I live right next door and slept through it!!!
I live on the 19th floor, heard nothing, smelled nothing , and had no knowledge of it until a friend down the block told me the next day. 🤣
You go to sleep at 8:30pm? Geez!
There were also multiple ambulances situated on West End.
There was a rumor of a gas issue…
I hope the resident will be ok 🙁
3,000 apartments in Lincoln Towers.
It’s amazing this doesn’t happen more often.
And confined to one unit?
People living there should feel assured.
The FDNY was great!
pls do story on why takes so long MONTHS to get fire marshal’s reports, IF EVER,, including re probable cause of a fire JW, UWS.
I live there and (thankfully) wasn’t home, but it seems that the fire was less of a threat than would normally warrant the supposed 20 vehicles and 80 firefighters who showed up. Still, we are grateful for the FDNY response. There is damage to a few apts and several floors, and a bunch of water damage (whether from FDNY hoses or internal sprinkler systems, I’m not sure).
I was surprised to not get any kind of text message or automated phone call from Mgt. about the fire. I only got missives after it was under control and not by text but by a robo-call.
Whenever you live in a high-rise, any kind of fire, especially one when smoke fills your hallways, is always very scary. I’m thankful it wasn’t worse.
Respectfully, what is it that bothers you about a robo-call? I perceive a robo call or a text as the fastest ways for all of us to get information. If a human were placing calls and started by calling Apt 1A, it would take hours before 29S ever got information. Thanks.
I live on the 19th floor of the building and heard nothing!
Is 185 a smoke free bldg? Our lincoln tower bldg at 150 passed a smoke free provision this past year
No it is NOT smoke free and if you can believe it my neighbor had the audacity to smoke cigarettes inside the morning after the fire.
FDNY did there job efficiently, no one passed away. Emergencies happen very quickly,. Luckily the staff on hand reacted quickly, and assisted the residents that needed help in the moment. 2025 people are looking to blame someone, Management, the super, the neighbor. Let’s be realistic folks, stop sensationalizing the matter. The messages via what ever system would have done nothing for you, but cause more hysteria. If the building is that bad, move! You would probably be unhappy in what ever building you live in. The cry babies should move into a single family home, and find themselves to blame for everything in their lives. Once again, be realistic, no one got hurt seriously, staff FDNY reacted quickly, on a Saturday evening, what more can you ask for? in a emergency, and Mgmt is away, they are relying on information from building staff, who is probably too busy to speak to anyone about the problem. Let’s get real people. Lejabe, probably ran for the board and lost.
That’s a great point. Sending messages out before facts were confirmed would only have created more panic and potentially put people at risk. FDNY responded quickly and professionally, and thankfully no one lost their life. Emergencies happen fast, and in this case the staff on hand acted right away to assist residents who needed help in the moment.
It’s natural for people to want answers, but turning it into finger-pointing at management, super, staff, or neighbors doesn’t help anyone. Realistically, no mass alert system would have changed the outcome here Even though ive received plany of messages as to what was going on with instructions to follow— it likely would have just added to the hysteria.
The important thing is that residents are safe, the fire was contained, and both staff and FDNY did their jobs on a Saturday evening when response resources are always stretched. Instead of sensationalizing, we should acknowledge that the systems in place worked as intended.
I’m pretty sure your right. Lejabe, and some of the other loudest voices here spreading misinformation are most likely either of the two that got the least amount of votes when running for the board this year because they are unstable. Can’t wait to see them run again next year just to be humiliated again.