Marijuana grow lamp sparks deadly Yonkers fire that injures 35 firefighters: officials

An electric heat lamp used to grow marijuana is to blame for a four-alarm fire that engulfed a huge Yonkers apartment building earlier this week, killing one person and injuring more than 40 others, including dozens of firefighters, officials said Friday.

The flames broke out in a 6-story apartment building on Bronx River Road in Westchester County around 1 a.m. Wednesday. The flames quickly intensified, destroying the entire 95-unit structure and displacing hundreds of people.

An investigation determined the fire started on the first floor, officials said Friday, and they believe the likely source was an electric heating lamp used to grow six potted plants that the resident grew for personal use.

Yonkers officials said the resident’s testimony, as well as evidence from the scene, lead investigators to believe that the lamp somehow broke loose from its suspension pole and broke, sparking on the floor and starting a fire. As soon as the resident noticed the fire, he raised the alarm and alerted his neighbors, officials said.

A total of 35 firefighters and six civilians were injured in the blaze, according to the Yonkers fire chief. One of the injured rescuers was taken to hospital after being hit in the face by flying debris from a roof collapse. All 41 casualties, including civilians, are expected to be all right. The identity of the deceased man has not been established.

It is also unknown how many apartments were completely destroyed. According to investigators, the building is not fireproof. Intense flames erupted from the sixth floor, where most of the rescues are said to have taken place.

At least one person has died in a massive fire in Yonkers. Tracey Strahan reports this.

Firefighters initially had to take a defensive stance, officials said, due to severe fire and wind conditions that made it difficult to fight the flames on the elevated side of the building. They also had to work through a parking lot that couldn’t hold the engines.

Firefighters fought the stubborn blaze through the night hours and after sunrise, encountering hot spots every time they moved forward.

Between 200 and 300 people are displaced, officials say, and it took more than six hours for the fire to be brought under control. Residents were ordered to go to a community center north of the scene where the Red Cross is providing assistance.

People were seen on fire escapes in pajamas screaming for help. Some were rescued from balconies and windows. In total, about a dozen people were rescued, and in three other cities more than 100 people arrived to help.

“I opened the front door and couldn’t even open it all the way. Because all that black smoke hit me, so I closed the door. I was fine, I need to go out through the fire escape, ”said Crystal Walthall. “I was on the fire escape with another family and their kids, so we were all trying to figure out how to get down the fire escape and get down safely.”

The Bronx River Road between Midland Avenue and Mile Square was closed for most of the day.

The investigation is ongoing.