Residents of a New Rochelle apartment building are waiting for power to be restored to their homes after a fire ignited inside a laundromat on the bottom floor earlier this morning.
Firefighters were called to the scene at about 5:21 a.m. for a fully involved fire on the first-floor of a four-story apartment building located at 43 Drake Avenue. Flames were shooting through the window of the building by the time firefighters arrived, according to New Rochelle fire Chief Lou DiMeglio.
“We were lucky to be two blocks from the nearest fire house and we were able to get their quickly and get it under control in minutes, which saved the building and a lot of lives too,” DiMeglio said.
The fire was contained to the laundromat and no injuries were reported from the incident. The upstairs apartments and Mexico Lindo, a restaurant located next door to the laundromat, had some smoke and water damage.
DiMeglio said there are more than 40 apartment units in the building and that Consolidated Edison workers are now in the process of restoring power to the homes. The American Red Cross has been contacted and is available to help residents with temporary shelter if power isn’t restored to the buildings today.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but firefighters don't consider it to be suspicious.
