A devastating fire inside a Mount Vernon apartment complex has forced more than 250 people from their homes days before Thanksgiving, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
Officials report that roughly 150 residents urgently require shelter, while 75 to 100 others were traveling at the time and are still being accounted for. The fire erupted on an upper floor of the large residential building located at 30 Cottage Ave., quickly engulfing the upper levels and prompting a massive emergency response.
Flames burst out of the roofline as residents scrambled to escape. One resident, Erick Espinal, described the panic as he rushed to warn his family and neighbors. “I got my family out, I ran upstairs, told my parents (who) live a floor above me,” Espinal said. “We stayed in the building for at least 10-15 minutes, just telling everybody, ‘Fire! Fire! Get out! Knocking on doors.’”
The blaze originated in a top-floor kitchen before spreading into the cockloft — the hollow space between the building’s ceiling and roof — allowing the fire to travel quickly through the structure, according to Mount Vernon Fire Department officials. Fire crews arrived to find extensive flames on the seventh floor.
Chief of Operations Juan Peralta said firefighters encountered trapped residents who required rescue. “They found heavy fire coming out of the 7th floor on (the) Cottage Ave. side,” he noted. “There was also two victims at the window where they needed rescue. They put the aerial up and they have a mother and daughter -- they took ‘em out by the ladder through the window.”
The fire resulted in extensive damage to the top two floors, and water damage spread through the rest of the building’s 100+ units. Although a mother and daughter were injured during the rescue, officials said there were no significant injuries among the residents.
Espinal, like many others, fears the building may be uninhabitable. “I don’t think it’s gonna be home anymore,” he said. “Not with this kind of damage.”
With families suddenly displaced only days before the holiday, Mount Vernon community organizations are stepping in. Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard confirmed that around 50 local churches will assist with clothing, meals and other relief services. City officials are coordinating donations, and volunteers are mobilizing to support families who lost nearly everything in the fire.
Holmes Elementary School will transform into a temporary shelter for the next five nights, including Thanksgiving. The OEM said efforts are underway to serve a community holiday meal for affected residents. Social Services teams will begin providing support and case management on Monday.
Beyond immediate shelter and food, displaced households are expected to receive help with long-term housing options — a critical need as winter approaches and the building’s future remains uncertain.
Originally reported by Ida Siegal, NBC New York in NBC News.
