THE BRONX — A massive fire engulfed an abandoned Soundview home occupied by squatters early Tuesday morning, the FDNY said.
The blaze started about 7:15 a.m. inside 1233 Taylor Ave., near Westchester Avenue, and swept through the building, fire officials said.
One firefighter was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center after suffering minor injuries battling the three-alarm fire, which took about 140 firefighters to extinguish, an FDNY spokesman said.
“The squatters seemed to have evacuated safely,” FDNY Deputy Chief Joe Woznica said.
Witness Syeda Begum described a chaotic scene.
“My mom was screaming, ‘Fire, fire,’” said Begum, 21, who lives a couple doors down from where the blaze began.
“I opened the front door and two houses down was all in flames. I ran to the backyard and smoke was coming up. It was intense. The house was burning up.”
The cause of the fire was under investigation, officials said.
