Fire on E. 204th Street in Norwood (Updated)

Above are photos of a fire last night at 305 E. 204th St. in Norwood. We'll have more details for you later. All photos by Adi Talwar.

Update: A few details. A spokesman for FDNY said 12 units, or about 60 firefighters, responded to the fire call at 3:22 a.m. The fire was under control by 4:03 a.m. The blaze was contained to the second floor, which serves as the offices for Aleseda Management and Realty. They are still investigating the cause of the fire.

[Editor's note: Here's a link to Adi's personal account of the blaze.]

Bronx News Roundup, March 8

It's a clear and beautiful morning in the Bronx today, with highs reaching into the mid-40s this afternoon. On to our news roundup:

Story of the day: 

Reporter David Greene snapped this photo from the scene of a fire on the Grand Concourse yesterday, when firefighters rescued 14 pit bulls from a blazing sixth-floor apartment in a building in Fordham Heights. All of the dogs, including one puppy and four newborns, were safe and one was treated for a minor injury. No people where injured. We'll have more photos and the rest of Greene's account shortly.

Stand-up comedian and Bronx native Mike DeStefano, who spun his troubled childhood and recovery from heroin addiction into his comedic routines, died yesterday. His lawyer told the New York Times that DeStefano was in his 40s, but could not confirm an exact age or cause of death. 

A Bronx woman was struck and killed by a car yesterday after stepping into a lane of traffic on a Westchester road to avoid a puddle caused by recent flooding, police said. Her companion was also injured.

A man accused of beating a 25-year-old Bronx woman into a coma over a parking space apologized outside of a Manhattan court yesterday, and said the injured woman, Lana Rosas, was the one who hit him first.

The cabdriver accused of mowing down two men in Manhattan after refusing to drive them to the Bronx has a history of confrontations with passengers, according to the Daily News. He was fined and suspended by the Taxi and Limosine Commission last year after supposedly abusing another rider.

New York City is poised to become the most gridlocked city in the country, according to a new report, which sites a stretch of the Cross Bronx Expressway as the worst traffic spot. 

A Bronx high school and a middle school, which have yet to be named publicly, will soon be part of the DOE's plan to test a new "turnaround" tactic. Instead of closing down the low-performing schools, as it has done in the past, the city will try replacing the principal and half of the teachers at the sites in hopes of improving them.

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 2

Bad news for Senate buddies Pedro Espada, Jr. and Ruben Diaz, Sr.: Spanish-language newspaper El Diario/La Prensa is backing their rival candidates in the Sept. 14 primary. In a release sent this morning, the paper announced the endorsements of Espada-challenger Gustavo Rivera and Carlos Ramos, who is looking to unseat Diaz in the 32nd Senate District. The statement called Rivera a "rising star," and chided Diaz for his "narrow mindedness."

Voters in Riverdale, where Democrats historically turn out to elections in high numbers, could play a key role in determining the outcome of Senate races in the 31st and 33rd Districts, the Riverdale Press is reporting.

A 6-alarm fire broke out last night in a record store on White Plains Road near 236th Street, causing the building's roof to collapse and spreading quickly to businesses nearby. At least a dozen firefighters were reportedly injured and several stores destroyed.

It's a parking ticket showdown between a tow truck operator and an NYPD officer from the 45th Precinct. Tow truck driver Marvin Robbins says the  cop gave him an invalid parking ticket as payback for his job, which is to tow illegally parked police vehicles.

Harlem Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV (who is running for Charles Rangel's seat in Congress) supposedly took campaign donations from the owner of a Melrose strip club, who is being sued for sexual harassment by the club's dancers.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., is urging the city to test all schools for PCB, a toxic building material. Tests done by the city last month showed high levels of the chemical at a public school in Co-op City.

The new Mott Haven Educational Campus debuted this week, a college-like 280,000-square-foot site that will house four schools. The Mayor announced that the city will add a total of 17,000 new classroom seats this year to relieve overcrowding.

A surveillance camera caught two arsonists on tape as they tried to set fire to a West Farms apartment building on Tuesday morning. Police are still looking for both suspects.

Love Gospel Assembly Seeking Help to Rebuild After Fire

Love Gospel Assembly, the Grand Concourse church gutted in a July 25 fire, is ramping up its fund-raising efforts and asking the public for help as they work toward rebuilding.

In a letter, Assembly head pastor Bishop Ron Bailey asks "Fellow Co-Laborers in Christ" to "stand with us prayerfully and financially during this critical time in the life of our ministry."

Considered by many congregants to be a beacon of a light in the community -- the church is located on the Concourse between 183rd Street and Field Place -- Love Gospel Assembly has some 600 parishioners and also operates a soup kitchen out of its basement.

"We have the awesome privilege of ministering  to the poverty-stricken and homeless of our community," Bailey wrote. "Yet now, we are without a home. With the help of God and others, we can be restored and rebuilt so that we may continue to see broken lives transformed by the power of God."

The church has set up the "Love Gospel Assembly Operation Restoration Fund," which people can donate to by going to the church's website: lgabronx.com, clicking on "Donation Tool"  on the left side of the page and then scrolling down to click on "Operation Restoration."

On Saturday, the church is holding a fundraiser at Lehman Center's concert hall from 1-3 p.m. where people can donate in person. And you can also donate by mailing a check payable to "Love Gospel Assembly" to 2435 Grand Concourse 2nd Floor, Bronx NY 10468. Put "Attention: Operation Restoration."

Love Gospel Assembly is currently holding services on Friday evenings and Sundays at Walker Memorial Baptist Church, 120 E. 169th St., between the Grand Concourse and Walton Avenue.

Bronx Pols Say Firehouse Cuts Could Return Borough to Darker Days

Flanked by union reps, fellow Bronx pols and residents holding photos of burning buildings, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. warned that the mayor's plan to cut firehouses could bring back the dark "Bronx is burning" days.

Bronx politicians, union leaders and firefighter representatives gathered at Engine 96/Ladder 54 in the South Bronx yesterday to oppose the closing of firehouses in the Bronx and throughout the city.

In an effort to balance the budget, Mayor Bloomberg has proposed closing 20 firehouses citywide. It's still unclear specifically which firehouses will be slated for closure, but Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., the Bronx's Council delegation and Council Fire committee chair Elizabeth Crowley wanted to remind the mayor of what happened last time the city cut fire companies in the northern borough.

“Last time the City closed fire companies in the 1970s, 25 percent of the Bronx burned down,” Crowley said.

In the 1970s, the Bronx was literally burning. Engine 96, where the rally was held, was one of the busiest fire companies in the world. Between 1970 and 1980, in seven different census tracts (out of the borough's 289 tracts), more than 97 percent of Bronx buildings were lost to fire and abandonment, according to data compiled by FDNY historian Joe Flood. In 44 other census tracts, more than 50 percent of buildings were lost to fire and abandonment.  

“While we all understand the need for the FDNY cut backs during this economic downturn, compromising public safety shouldn’t be an option," said Diaz, Jr. "Closing twenty companies will raise response times, leaving the public and firefighter’s safety in jeopardy. We fought hard to keep Ladder 53 on City Island open last year, and will do the same to avoid any closures that could put Bronxites at risk.”

Palma also recalled when fires were uncontrolled due to an under-funded FDNY. “Forty years later, we cannot allow these same mistakes to be made again and history cannot be allowed to repeat itself," she said.

Also in attendance were Bronx Council members Maria del Carmen Arroyo and Fernando Cabrera.

Fire at St. Nicholas of Tolentine.

Photographs of the damage caused by the afternoon fire at
St. Nicholas of Tolentine. Photographs by Adi Talwar

Fire at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church

A two-alarm fire broke out this morning at the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church on the corner of W. Fordham Rd. and Andrews Ave. The fire started sometime between 11:30 and 11:40am. The Fire Department responded quickly, and fire fighters arrived at the church around 11:45.
A total of 60 fire fighters were on hand.

Fire Department officials call the fire, which started in the vestibule of the church, "very suspicious," adding that someone may have set the fire on purpose or by accident. The fire never got to the main sanctuary, and is, as of now, under control. No word yet as to the extent of damages inside the church.

A few members of the congregation were praying inside St. Nicholas of Tolentine when the fire broke out, but were quickly rushed outside via side exit. No one was hurt. The blaze sent thick, black smoke billowing out the front entrance of the church.

Church members are thankful the fire was not worse, and are hopeful to hold mass at St. Nicholas of Tolentine on Sunday.

Another Fire in Norwood in 51 days.

By now most of you have read the News and seen the destruction caused by the early morning fire on 204 street in the Norwood section of the Bronx.
The phone rang at 4:45 am and I thought "It cannot be another fire". The last time I had received an early morning call it was October 31 and we lost more than 10 businesses on Bainbridge ave. Here are some of the photographs I made while I watched my family's favorite store burn (Foodtown). "Where are we going to buy ice cream" was my 5 year old daughters reaction. The last quarter of 2009 has not been good for Our community. We are a close knit community here in Norwood. Thanks to my friend's call I was one of the first photographers to get to the location. You can see the empty snow covered lot created by the October 31st fire in the last photograph of the slide show

Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 21

Last night, a Bronx resident, Jesus Vega, was shot dead outside of his home in Parkchester. Police do not yet know the motive or the perpetrator of the crime.

For more information about the devastating fire on 204th Street, visit NY1. Also, check back on the blog for more news updates regarding the fire.

Bronx families struggle to save up money for Christmas presents.

After a public housing complex on Magenta Street flooded last Thursday night, emergency crews worked through Friday morning to bring back water and heat to the building.

If the Department of Education follows through with its plan to close Alfred E. Smith high school, adults will not be able to take classes in plumbing and carpentry at the school, as they do now.

The principal of Academy of Letters in the South Bronx will leave her school to accept a position as the mayor of Los Angeles' deputy mayor of education.

In order to help a Brooklyn mother with leukemia, BronxWorks is holding a bone marrow testing drive at 1130 Grand Concourse today in hopes of finding a bone marrow match, which could save the patient's life.

Fire in Norwood on 204th Street

Residents of Norwood awoke this morning to sounds, smells and sights of another devastating fire to the local business district and greater community. The FDNY received calls for the fire around 4:30am and by 6:30am over 160 firefighters had responded to subdue the blaze. The fire raged through the building that houses Foodtown and the American Diner, in the heart of the commercial strip on 204th Street. These photos were taken from the hallway of an apartment building on Rochambeau Avenue, images eerily similar to the fire on Halloween that destroyed a building and 12 businesses on Bainbridge Avenue. This fire now leaves two gaping wholes in what was an otherwise vibrant neighborhood commercial corridor.

Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 1

In an effort to curb fires caused by illegally converted apartments, the city is dispersing information to Bronx and Queens residents warning them of the dangers of illegally subdivided units.

Jacobi Medical Center in the the Bronx will be the recipient of city backed, multimillion-dollar training facility with realistic mannequins.

Students at the Women's Academy of Excellence in the Bronx find they can relate to a new play making its rounds through city schools that addresses complex teenage issues.

In the wake of two incidents of youth gun violence in the Bronx, this Daily News column talks about the Rev. Al Sharpton's sudden call to fight the issue.

On the same note, this NY1 article is centered on the community's response to the recent fatal shooting of Issi Dominiguez, a 17-year-old Bronx boy.

The Bronx-born,Broadway press agent, Max Eisen, recently passed away at the age of 91.

The Daily News reveals the Civic Center neighborhood surrounding Yankee Stadium has a lot to offer.

Daily News columnist, Bob Kappstatter, has a few words to say on various political happenings in the Bronx.

Fire Guts 14 stores in Norwood.

October 31 2009: An early Saturday morning 5 alarm fire gutted 14 stores on the corner of East 204 street and Bainbridge ave. After receiving a phone call from a friend, I rushed to the location at about 3:30 am. The air was filled with a light drizzle and thick heavy smoke. Our brave fire fighters fought hard to bring the fire under control. Its with a sad heart I bring you these photographs as this is a big blow to my neighborhood.

Partial list of businesses effected by the fire:
1) Yasmins Barber Shop
2) Candy & Grocery
3) Plaza Rio Nilo Records
4) Dunkin' Donuts
5) ZNS Realty Corp
6) Bainbridge Fish Market
7) Neighborhood Gift & Wireless
8) European Minimarket
9) Bainbridge Bakery and pastry
10) El Diamante Poblano II Restaurant
11) Betty's Place
12) Ming Wong

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 21

Now that President Obama has gotten involved in NYC politics by attempting to give Governor Paterson the heave-ho, State Senator Ruben Diaz says he’s now obligated to support Democrat Bill Thompson in the race for mayor.

This is what Diaz said:

“I deeply appreciate President Barack Obama’s concern for the future of the New York Democratic Party and the importance of maintaining a Democrat for Governor of New York State. I am hopeful that President Obama will now show the same initiative by supporting and strongly campaigning for Democratic Mayoral Candidate William Thompson.

This way, President Obama will show that his concern for the Democratic Party in New York State is unquestionable."

In a NY Times' blog, David Gonzalez, writes about and captures through photographs the changes on Fordham Road over the past 30 years.

Police are now investigating a series of attacks on Fordham University students at an off-campus apartment building.

A fire Thursday at a Bronx mosque did not stop worshipers from observing the end of Ramadan.
A new awards ceremony was held over the weekend to recognize female empowerment in the Bronx.

The Bronx is taking a number of measures to reduce its ecological footprint, including planting rooftop gardens and installing solar panels.

The Bronx Assistant Principal arrested for drunk driving on Friday with her baby in the car has been suspended from her position.

Two men survived jumping out a second floor window to escape an armed robbery. A pet pit bull also jumped but did not survive.

A Bronx man confessed to murdering a Dubai businesswoman.

Bronx News Roundup, August 24

A Bronx cab driver was shot dead late last night in Mott Haven. This murder is the second fatal shooting of a cabdriver in the Bronx in the span of about a week. Police arrested a 31 year-old suspect carrying a gun near the murder scene soon after the Sunday shooting.

This week, Crotona Park will host the annual EmblemHealth Bronx Open, where children from around the tri-state area can play tennis for free with some of the top ranked women's players in the sport. The Bronx Open will also feature the fourth annual tennis match between the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department.

A Bronx woman, Gloria Ford, was killed yesterday afternoon in a kitchen fire at her Norwood apartment. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

After an eight year-old girl, Destiny Antonio, fell seven stories from her Bronx apartment building last Friday, her mother, Robin Antonio, is being investigated by the Administration for Children's Services. Robin Antonio claims that she complained to housing authorities about the broken window before the incident. Robin Antonio's daughter suffered a broken pelvis and leg from the fall and she is recovering in the hospital.

In Hunt's Point, a dad saved his three year-old son from being attacked by a 120-pound Husky dog.

Bronx News Roundup July 13

Yesterday, July 12, police arrested Bronx resident Mark St. Pierre after a violent driving spree leaving one dead, 12 injured and eight cars damaged. Police say that St. Pierre started driving from a parking lot on East Gun Hill Road, hit two cars before crashing into and immediately killing Miguel Colon at the intersection on East Gun Hill Road and Knapp Street, and continued on to damage six more cars. St. Pierre faces charges of manslaughter, homicide and vehicular assault.

Former Bronx BP Adolfo Carrion, Jr. recently publicized his plans as the White House Director of the Office of Urban Affairs to forge a new national urban policy. Today, the White House is hosting a day-long urban policy discussion with urban government officials and policy experts to determine the best course for future policies. President Obama is expected to announce a plan to send Carrion and other representatives on a tour of U.S. cities to research and discuss urban issues. Issues to be discussed at the White House include a Department of Education model and housing, social and economic benefits in poor urban neighborhoods.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings are being held today in Washington D.C. Issues that will be discussed at the hearings will most likely include her judgment on the white firefighter discrimination case and her comments about being a Latina woman. The New York Times has a live blog for a play by play of the hearings.

The Throgs Neck Bridge will remain closed to trucks traveling North this Monday due to the fire on the bridge on Friday morning. As of now, the ramp to the Throgs Neck off of the Cross Island Parkway will be closed until further notice while investigators search to determine the cause of the fire. Cars will still be able to travel from Queens to the Bronx on the two open lanes, but expect traffic.

Metropolitan Jewish Health System opened a new site at Hutchinson Metro Center. The health system will provide services for all of the Bronx community.

The death of Kenneth Jackson in a fire in Bronxdale housing on March 24, 2008 is still being investigated. Now his sister, Janet Jackson, has sued the Housing Authority claiming that the smoke detector in her brother's apartment was not installed properly.

Bronx News Roundup, April 22

Check out our BP election post if you haven't already.

New York's new Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan visited the Catholic Charities food pantry in west Bronx last Friday. Bronxites were excited about the visit. One person said, "Touching him is like getting some part of Jesus. It's like a blessing. I think this is the best thing I've ever seen."

A quick report from WNYC on the NYPD's gun buy-back program, which hits the Bronx Saturday.

Keeping you updated on the latest MTA rescue plan: six upstate Democrats are balking at a payroll tax. [More from Bronx State Senator Pedro Espada on this later]

Firefighters helped save a Bronx family when their Fordham-area home ignited into flames early Tuesday morning.

Speaking of fire, a fire standpipe at a Mott Haven school complex recently failed a safety test.

And finally, a new lion cub at the Bronx Zoo is shy.

Fire on Bainbridge

April 13: Early this morning there was a fire in a bakery at the corner of Bainbridge Ave and 204 street. When I got there around 10:00 am the fire had been put out and the fire department was busy clearing up.

Bronx News Roundup Jan. 21

Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez took in the inauguration at Highbridge Recreation Center, where the audience acknowledged the historic nature of the event and were excited about a future under new leadership.

[More on the inauguration from the Norwood News later today.]

Rider report cards, based on surveys filled out by MTA customers, are out again. Most lines in the city received a passing grade of C or slightly lower. The B line and No. 2 line both received C grades, while the No. 4 and No. 7 lines received C-minus grades.

The Daily News says getting bills passed through Christine Quinn's City Council can be, surprise, political. In a sidebar in the print edition, it says Bronx members Larry Seabrook (0) and Joel Rivera (1) have passed the least amount of bills since 2002.

A fire ripped through a Williamsbridge building, leaving several families homeless.

As part of its "Neediest Cases" series, the Times profiles a Bronx couple living with dementia.

Bronx News Roundup Nov. 24

It was a chilly weekend for most but nearly 40 people were left in the cold after a blazing fire at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday consumed an apartment building and several homes in the Longwood section of the Bronx. It began on the first floor of 952 Rogers Place and quickly spread.

The Young Women's Leadership School is also being given the cold shoulder, losing support from the Young Women's Leadership Foundation and being forced to change its name because it relocated to a co-ed school building. It has been shuffled around from one location to the next for the last four years.

On another note, the trial for "Soprano" actor, Lillo Brancato, begins today. He is accused of being involved in the murder of a Bronx off-duty officer. Last Friday, a Bronx judge refused to toss out potentially incriminating evidence against Brancato.

Some good news. Former South Bronxite, Patrick Alvarez, who grew up in various homeless shelters around the city is now a freshman at Syracuse University, preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday by giving back with a non-profit he founded, Project Feed Me. He will be holding the organization's first major event today, handing out turkeys to the hungry at the Children's Aid Society on West 118th.

And for some breaking news! The Bronx is no longer just a borough. It's now also the name of Ashlee Simpson's newborn, Bronx Mowgli. To be fair, a teacher in Alabama was the first to don the name but her parents weren't celebs. Apparently, the story was so important it needed to be covered not once but twice by the New York Times.

Update on Yesterday's Fire in Highbridge

Twenty-three residents and five firefighters were injured Wednesday morning in a fire at 1030 Woodycrest Ave in Highbridge. The builiding is next door to the house where 10 Malian immigrants lost their lives to a fire in March of 2007.

There were no fatalities in Wednesday's blaze. The one-alarm fire burned for 52 minutes and destroyed the first-floor apartment of Celestino Narvaez, and also spread to higher floors. Most or all of the glass was knocked out of hallway windows on all six floors of the building; the windows remained in this condition as of Thursday afternoon.

The home of third-floor resident Esther Gonzalez-Alers--who is asthmatic and suffers from a heart condition--still smelled of smoke. Gonzalez-Alers, 57, shivered as she spoke to this reporter, because the glass of her apartment had not yet been replaced.

Narvaez, who lost all his possessions, said the electricity in his apartment was out when he woke up at 5am Wednesday to take a shower, forcing him to light a small candle. At some point, Narvaez fell asleep, and the sound of his dog barking frantically jolted him awake and alerted him to the fire. Narvaez said he was unsure how the flame from the candle had spread . "Who knows?" Narvaez said. "It could have been the wind. It could have been something [else]. I don't know, because I did not see it."

Chris Villaroel, a spokesperson for the city fire department, said Wednesday that 2 of the injured civilians were being treated for serious injuries; the rest of the victims sustained minor injuries. The five injured firefighters were treated for minor injuries at Jacobi hospital. Villaroel said that the 23 civilians were treated at various area hospitals; because of the high number of hospitalizations, he was not sure which facility each resident was being treated at.

Cecilia Webley, a spokesperson for Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, said that her facility had treated and released three children and two adults, none of whom had been in serious condition.

As of late Thursday afternoon, the West Bronx Blog was unable to verify--through in-person conversations with residents of 1030 Woodycrest and calls to several local hospitals--if anyone remained hospitalized from the fire.

For third-floor resident Carmen Saez, yesterday morning's events brought back horrible memories of the infamous fire that claimed the lives of nine children and one adult from the Soumare and Magassa families a little more than one year ago."All I knew was they was screaming, 'Smoke!'" Saez said. "Flashbacks started coming back." Saez said that she attempted to escape through her front door, but was greeted with black smoke so thick she was unable to see. She then locked herself in her bedroom before firefighters broke down her door.

The West Bronx Blog will continue to provide updates on this story as we get more information.