THE BRONX — Diana Vizcarrondo and her family have lost everything in a massive inferno that ripped through their home last week.
Ten people were hurt and 83 people were left homeless after a fire broke out at Vizcarrondo's home at 2086 Valentine Ave. just before midnight on Dec. 10. The blaze destroyed the building as well as the buildings adjacent to it, prompting city officials and property owners to order their demolition.
It remains unclear if the property owner intends to rebuild housing at the site. Vizcarrondo's landlord did not respond to a request for comment.
Vizcarrondo lived at the home with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren but the family has been staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Manhattan following the fire with the help of the Red Cross. They have no idea if they'll ever be able to return to their home, she said.
"I’m a little bit anxious," said Vizcarrondo, 45. "I’m a little bit worried because we don’t know where we’re going to go, what’s going to happen. I’m just hoping that they can help us."
Vizcarrondo, who said she was at work when the fire broke out, raced home after getting a frantic call from her daughter-in-law. By the time Vizcarrondo got home, the roof of the third floor was engulfed in flames, and the fire had already started spreading to the buildings next door, she said.
"It spread so fast, and they were trying to extinguish the fire, but it just kept on going, kept on going," she said. "It was something crazy because you lose everything."
"I felt like my whole world was coming down," she said.
The Red Cross and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development are currently working on long-term placement for families who will need more permanent housing assistance, according to the Office of Emergency Management.
