Firefighters said their response to the blaze in the Fordham neighborhood was impeded by parked cars that blocked their access to fire hydrants. Flames ripped through two buildings on Anthony Avenue, one of which was a Buddhist temple, leaving two people dead. NBC New York’s Gaby Acevedo reports.
Two people died in a fire that erupted at a Bronx Thai Buddhist temple early Wednesday, authorities say.
The fire broke out in Fordham Heights on Anthony Avenue, between East Burnside Avenue and East 180th Street, around 6 a.m. Responding crews found one building fully engulfed in flames, with the fire spreading.
Cellphone video showed flames ripping through the two buildings, one of which was the Wat Buddhayaram Temple, a Thai Buddhism monastery founded in the 1960s. One of the victims who died in the blaze was a senior monk who had been at the temple for more than two decades.
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WATCH HEREThe other victim was identified as Chaiwat Latthitam, a visiting student from Thailand.
Hundreds of firefighters were at the scene, racing to douse the flames. But the FDNY said the nearest fire hydrant had been blocked by a car.
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The owner of the car with an Ohio license plate said she was planning on moving her vehicle Wednesday morning. She said the car had a boot put on it Tuesday morning, and she didn't have time to deal with it before work. When she went back to the car Wednesday, the buildings were in flames. Her car was towed from the scene.
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"We need to get, as quickly as possible, the engine connected to the hydrant. And when there is any obstruction it just delays it and makes it less safe for the people we are trying to get out of that building and our firefighters that are there," said FDNY Chief John Esposito.
The NYPD said that officers issued more than 638,000 tickets in 2024 for blocked fire hydrants across the city. More than 19,000 of those were located in the same precinct where Wednesday's fire broke out.
Fire marshals said the fire was sparked by a space heater that got too close to something flammable. The American Red Cross said it was helping at least six people with temporary housing as a result of the inferno.
The fire occurred just days after a similar situation in Brooklyn, where a fire killed a man and left several others hurt. The FDNY in that scenario was again hampered by cars blocking hydrants.
"When there’s a car parked in front of it it slows down the operation. It makes it more dangerous," said Chief Esposito.
The fire department said 15 feet of space is needed around hydrants.
An investigation is ongoing.
We had two fatalities at a 3-alarm fire in the Bronx Wednesday morning. Our thoughts are with those affected by this fire and we are grateful to our partners in the @redcrossny and @nycemergencymgt for assisting displaced residents.
— FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker (@FDNYFC) February 12, 2025
For the second time in three days, FDNY… pic.twitter.com/3XORTJiSyR
