'I thought I was going to die.' Survivors of Mount Vernon fire share their stories
Fires in two Mount Vernon neighborhoods have left 45 residents displaced.
More Stories
Two Mount Vernon communities say they are heartbroken after fires on Thursday night and early Friday morning.
The fires left 45 residents displaced.
The first fire was at 80 Gramatan Ave. around 11:30 p.m. Thursday night. About 14 people were displaced by this fire.
Hours later, fire crews responded less than a mile away to another fire on Elm Street.
"I run in the kitchen and my back door where the patio is was engulfed in flames," says Yashema Samuels, an Elm Street resident.
Samuels and her son were able to escape the flames. She told News 12 she went back in to get her car keys and phone but was blocked trying to get out of the burning building.
"My back door would not open. It was like it swelled and I started banging on the door and screaming then somebody heard me and broke the window on the door," says Samuels.
Fire officials say windy conditions from the fire on Elm Street sparked two homes on Terrace Avenue.
"I put on some clothes quickly, grabbed my dog, my phone and just got out of there," says Esmeily Arias, a North Terrace Avenue resident.
Arias says her house has severe damage. Her family is now trying to figure out what's next.
"My attic burnt first then there was damage in the bathroom, the kitchen," says Arias.
The Red Cross is helping displaced residents.
At least four firefighters suffered minor injuries.
