A grandmother and five children escaped a tenacious four-alarm fire that that ripped through their home before burning down two others in the Bronx Wednesday afternoon.
More than a dozen people, including four firefighters, were hurt in the blaze which began around 1:55 p.m. and spread to two other two-story houses on Hill Avenue in Wakefield, officials said.
The fire started in the rear of a home on Hill Avenue, where the grandmother lived with five children, before it quickly spread to the neighboring homes.
“We had a tremendous amount of fire,” said FDNY Assistant Deputy Chief Joe Woznica. “There was major damage to both buildings from the fire.”
The most-seriously injured victim was a firefighter who was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital on the Upper East Side, where he is listed in stable condition.
The three other firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to Jacobi.
“The total patient count at this time is 13, with one person removed to the hospital with first degree burns to the neck, the rest of them are minor,” said FDNY Medical Division Chief Roberto Colon.
Three families were displaced by the damage from the fire, according to the FDNY.
Additional reporting Kirstan Conley