NY Daily News – March 11, 2015
by Ryan Sit, Joseph Stepansky
More than 140 firefighters rushed to a burning East Harlem high-rise overlooking Central Park late Tuesday, Fire Department sources said. The three-alarm blaze was sparked on the 17th floor of one of two towers of Schomburg Plaza on Fifth Ave. at E. 110 St. around 11:50 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
The flames then shot out the window of the burning apartment and climbed up to the 18th floor, authorities said.
Fire officials said they were flooded with calls from residents saying they were trapped inside their apartments of the 34-story building.
Matt DeAngelo, 24, said he encountered emergency responders hustling towards the inferno as he was running down the stairs from his 27th floor apartment to safety.
“I ran down from the 27th floor and when I got to the 17th floor I saw all the firefighters running up the staircase and I had to turn back.”
When he finally got below the engulfed apartments he said the staircase was backed up with frightened residents trying to get out of the building.
“I had to stop because there was so many people clustered. There were some people panicking.”
Despite heavy smoke throughout the building, only four civilians were treated for smoke inhalation, the spokesman said.
The fire was extinguished at about 1:15 a.m., according to the department.
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