By Fermina Alcantara
The Bronx Journal Staff Writer
At about quarter to seven, on a sunny and unseasonably warm Saturday, people amassed on both sides of the Grand Concourse, and it wasn’t for a parade. Spectators stood in horror and amazement as they watched the flames of a three-alarm fire rush wildly on the fifth and sixth floors of 2070. “I’ve never seen Grand Concourse shut down like that,” said Vinny, owner of a nearby pizza shop. People lined up along the infamous avenue, waiting to see the outcome, hoping their neighbors and family members were okay.
“Gracias a Dios,” exclaimed Teresa Chavez, elated she got out in time. She was worried about her 102-year-old neighbor who remained behind. Another neighbor, Virginia Espinal, 63, was also grateful. She herself wasn’t in the building at the time of the fire, but her family was. “I just came from Burnside, but gracias a Dios my family got out alright. Cinco nietos, five grandchildren,” she says, followed by “Oh God.” She then complained she had dry mouth and said the alarm has her anxious.
Petra Hernandez, 32, was also anxious. The panicked look on her face hadn’t faded, even after the fire had been contained. She and her husband sat in disbelief on the sidewalk across the street from the fire. She said they heard hysterical screams, “Se esta quemando, se esta quemando todo.” Immediately she and her husband left their apartment and ran outside.
Another large family stood by in relief. The matriarch, Janet Gonzalez, 55, who lives on the third floor, claimed no alarms went off in their apartment or building. They were alerted by a neighbor who knocked on their door. Her six-year-old grandson led the way down the stairs. There were other junior heroes. Eleven-year-old Cesar Pimental Jr. was the one who woke his aunt. Deep asleep, she was unaware of the potential catastrophe taking place.
One who was caught right in the middle was Leonard Biddle, 61, a volunteer with the police department for the past 21 years. His job saved him. “I always keep a mask with me. It’s part of my job. Luckily, the mask was sitting on a dresser nearby. I remembered when I was sticking my head out the window for air.” He says the smoke in his apartment was so thick that he wasn’t even able to see anything. He had to instinctually find his way to the back window as the window facing the fire escape was filled with smoke.
When asked how he felt, he crossed his arms, smiled and said, “Listen…I just take it in stride. What else can you do? You have to be a survivor. That’s all.” Survivor he is, having survived two plane crashes in Vietnam when he served in the Air Force.
Deputy chief of division seven, Keith Cartica, says the cause of the fire is still under investigation. One hundred and fifty fire fighters were called to the scene. Half a dozen suffered minor injuries. It took approximately an hour and a half to contain the fire. “Miraculously, there were no civilian injuries, other than a dog,” said Cartica.
According to Cartica, the fire was especially difficult to battle due to the large size of and clutter in the apartments (ranging 2,000 square feet with four to five bedrooms). There is a total of 75 apartments in the three conjoint buildings. It is not yet clear how many of the apartments were affected, but it is certain families were displaced. The American Red Cross was on the scene to assess the situation and the Fire Marshall is currently investigating the fire.
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