Elderly Woman Critically Injured in Top-Floor Apartment Fire

An elderly woman was critically injured on Wednesday afternoon following an apartment fire on the Upper East Side.

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) told East Side Feed on Wednesday night that they received a call a little before 3 p.m. after a fire broke out at 509 East 81st Street (between York Avenue and East End Avenue).

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The fire broke out on the top floor of the five-story, twelve-unit building, the FDNY said. The victim, who hasn’t been identified, was brought to New York Presbyterian/Cornell Weill hospital. The FDNY Fire Marshal is still investigating the cause of the blaze.

Video shared on Citizen shows billowing smoke and the emergency response as concerned passersby gathered to gaze at the roof of the small building.

The fire occurred just a block away from a fatal blaze that broke out on December 2 at 526 East 82nd Street (also between York Avenue and East End Avenue).

That fire, which was described at the time as a “heavy, heavy body of fire” by Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Currao and was caused by electrical issues, resulted in the death of one resident of the building. Additionally, at least two firefighters sustained injuries while fighting the fire. One of the displaced residents launched a GoFundMe to assist other people impacted by the blaze.

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Even though the Upper East Side falls outside of the recently-enacted congestion toll—the tax only impacts drivers who venture below 60th Street in Manhattan—the FDNY’s union has warned city dwellers that the tax may cause delays in response times to fire around Manhattan and beyond.

“We move 200 firefighters a day,” Jim Brosi, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, said at a Sunday news conference, according to Fire Rescue 1, a website that focuses on firefighting issues. “The problem is we may only be dropping one firefighter off at each fire. This will slow down the time it takes to move between firehouses, meaning the firefighters waiting for relief will be on duty longer than they’re supposed to be.”

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