Deadly fire: FDNY says Washington Heights fire claims the lives of two people in their 60s

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS (WABC) — Two people are dead in Washington Heights after a fire broke out in an apartment building.

A very active scene on West 178th Street, where the fire broke out in a sixth floor apartment and claimed the lives of two people in their sixties.

A 77-year-old woman and a 74-year-old man were transported to Harlem Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Three other people were injured, including a firefighter.

The incident occurred around 1:45 a.m. early Tuesday morning.

The intensity of the orange and red flames that glowed in the darkness continued as the smoke billowed into the night sky.

It appears several neighbors who live in this building are affected by the fire that crews have been battling to contain.

It is still unclear how many people are back in their apartments.

“People accumulate things over time, over years, and when a fire happens, it fuels the fire. Moving around, knocking things over, moving them (so) makes it a little harder to find fire areas “As I said, we found the first victim in the front room and the male victim in the back of the apartment,” said FDNY Deputy Chief Malcolm Moore.

Yet many questions remain unanswered, including the condition of the fire as well as the cause of the fire and whether it could have been avoided.

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