Fireman, policeman, and staff from the building where a fire broke out stand outside the building making sure the scene is secure, on 28th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York, on July 29, 2014. (Benjamin Chasteen/Epoch Times)
NEW YORK—A two-alarm fire at a Midtown Manhattan family homeless shelter left seven people injured, mostly from smoke inhalation, on Tuesday including four firefighters.
The fire at 4 E. 28th Street broke out around 11 a.m. and was under control by noon.
It was caused by some external welding work on the fourth floor, according to officials from the fire department and the city’s Office of Emergency Management. According to the contractor, VEMA, none of their workers were injured.
The building, known as the Hotel Latham, is used as a family homeless shelter through the city’s Dept. of Homeless Services (DHS), and is known by the Children’s Rescue Fund House East, or CRF House East.
Residents, approximately 200 women and children, lingered in a plaza across the street as the building was cleared for safety. Several residents with small children from the upper floors complained that they were not told about the fire and had to alert one another.
Residents Complain
