Fire Tears Through Inwood Home, Injuring 12 Firefighters

INWOOD — A fire tore through a West 217th Street home early Friday, nearly trapping a family inside and leaving a dozen firefighters with minor injuries, authorities and witnesses said.

The blaze at the two-story private home, at 531 W. 217th St., began about 2:51 a.m. and quickly spread to both floors, the FDNY said. Flames also shot up from a manhole that caught fire in front of the home, fire officials added.

Twelve firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the blaze and were taken to St. Luke's Hospital, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The blaze left 90 Con Edison customers without power in the area, as crews near the scene Friday morning were busy working to restore service. 

One of the home's longtime residents described hearing an explosion after smelling smoke inside the house.

Bernard Crystal, 74, who has lived at the address since 1977, said his daughter heard a "terrible rumbling" on the ground-floor before dashing upstairs to warn her family. 

"We tried to go out the front, but the living room was full of smoke, so we ran out the back way," he said. "Just as we got out of the house, the explosion occurred. The living room burst into flames. We were seconds away from being burned alive."

A woman living on the semi-detached property's other side, which did not suffer as much damage, said her husband was awake when he noticed the flames.

"He saw the light was flickering and the floor was rumbling," said Yvette Rivera, 52, who moved there with her husband from the East Village about 10 months ago.

"He saw the streetlight flickering and smelled smoke. We ran out and saw the flames shooting up from the manhole. We're lucky we didn't lose someone."

Others described hearing a loud noise emanate from the manhole in front of the home.

"It was like a motorcycle starting up," said neighbor Robin Schwartz, 57. "There were flames shooting from the manhole cover. The fire was many colors, purple and green. I'd never seen anything like it."

A Con Ed spokeswoman could not say whether the manhole fire was connected to the house fire, noting that the cause of both is under investigation. 

By: DNAinfo

All Brooklyn-bound lanes on the WIlliamsburg Bridge are closed because of an accident photos->

A serious two-vehicle accident on the Williamsburg Bridge has created major traffic backup on the outbound side.

The bridge is closed at Delancey Street as emergency responders attend to the accident, which happened at about 5 p.m., when one vehicle rolled over on top of another. 

Firefighters extricated the driver of the second vehicle underneath, and two drivers were taken to the hospital. The extent of their injuries wasn't clear.

The inner roadway is closed on the Brooklyn-bound side of the bridge. The outer roadway was blocked by emergency vehicles, but has been clearing out.

It's not clear what caused the accident.

Sources: One Dead, Two Injured In Manhattan Building Collapse

One person has died from their injuries following a building collapse in Manhattan, sources tell NY1.

Fire officials say the collapse happened just before 8 a.m. at a construction site on 130th Street near Broadway in Morningside Heights.

At least two others were taken to taken to Saint Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.

Their conditions were not immediately known.

The Department of Buildings says the building was in the process of being demolished at the time of the collapse.

NY1 has a crew at the scene and will have more information as it becomes available.

By: NY1 News

Traffic Alert

Due to a vehicle accident, the eastbound Brooklyn Queens Expy is temporarily closed at the BK Bridge (BK). Expect extensive delays

Six Injured In Accident On 125th Street

HARLEM — Several people were injured Wednesday after a two-car smashup on 125th Street near Amsterdam Avenue, fire officials said.

The 3:40 p.m. accident on the busy intersection left six people injured, including a woman who suffered a broken leg, an FDNY spokesman said.

A witness said one of the cars rear-ended another.

Man Struck By 7 Train At Grand Central

MIDTOWN — A man was struck by a train at Grand Central Terminal just as rush hour was getting under way Wednesday, officials said.

The victim was was hit by a Times Square-bound 7 train about 3:30 p.m., transit and fire officials said.

"The train stopped, then everyone looked for him," said Yajaira Calle, 14.

"A lady found him and screamed, 'Don't move the train!'" said Carolyn Molina, 14, who lives in Washington Heights. "It was scary."

He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, but his condition was not immediately known, a transit spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said service between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza in both directions was suspended.

By: DNAinfo

IPhone Mugger Thwarted By Tech-Savvy Cop In Brooklyn

BROOKLYN — A quick-thinking cop used GPS technology to track a stoleniPhone after it was taken at gunpoint inside a Downtown Brooklyn subway station, police said.

The mugger approached the 32-year-old victim inside the High Street Station Tuesday afternoon and swiped her smartphone and pocketbook, the NYPD said.

After the woman reported the incident to cops outside the station, Police Officer Benito Ocasio used the woman's iTunes account to track the stolen phone, tracing it to an address in the nearby Farragut Houses, cops said.

There, they arrested the suspect, Brian Mack, 55. Police discovered that the suspect also had the victim's state ID card and several of her credit cards.

Mack, who is homeless, is charged with robbery, weapons possession, grand larceny, menacing and criminal trespass, police said.

By: DNAinfo