Three firefighters were injured Friday when a massive fire tore through three penthouses atop an Upper East Side apartment building, the FDNY said.
The blaze broke out just after 10 a.m. on the roof of a luxury six-story building on E. 95th St. building near Second Ave.
“The fire quickly extended to the cockloft, the area on the top floor between the ceiling and the roof,” FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief James Canty said at a press conference Friday afternoon. “(The fire) entered that area and entered some penthouses on the roof.”
There are three penthouses on the top floor of the building, said Canty, who said the blaze was threatening to spread to adjoining buildings when the FDNY arrived.
Courtesy of Wilston Jarvis
Firefighters battle a roof fire at 305 E. 95th St. in Manhattan on Friday. (Courtesy of Wilston Jarvis)
“We opened up the area, got water on the fire and were able to contain it to the original fire building, stopping the spread,” Canty said.
“It was a good feat on a day like today,” Canty said, adding that Friday’s 87-degree temperatures caused the flames to “heat up quickly” and threatened to overheat firefighters in their heavy bunker gear.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze, officials said. The fire was extinguished in about an hour.
More than 170 firefighters and EMS personnel were on scene.
No building residents were injured, officials said.
While initial reports said the fire may have been sparked by a buildup of gasses in the basement, Canty said the fire originated on the roof.
FDNY fire marshals have been tasked with determining what sparked the blaze.
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