Three-alarm fire in Bronx post office

(New York - WABC, May 12, 2007) (WABC) -- A fire at a post office in the Bronx is under investigation. The building was badly damaged and some firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

In the Mott Haven section, Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Pegues has more.

Right around the corner from the post office on 139th Street, firefighters are keeping us back. They are beginning the process of moving out of here.

The situation is under control but we got word that 15 firefighters injured battling smoke and flames. Fortunately, most injuries are minor.

"All of sudden, the guy was running," one of witnesses, Emory Lindsey, said. "That's when we noticed (the fire)."

Witnesses say the fire started on the roof of the post office. There were workers on the roof at the time. Residents say they started yelling for help.

"We saw the black smoke. We saw one of guys coming to the edge and he was ready to jump off," said other witness Adrianna Agostini. "He started yelling, "Fire, fire!" so everyone started running and calling 9-1-1."

It's not clear exactly what caused the fire. The post office was closed at the time although post office workers were inside. The smoke was visible from several miles away.

The three-alarm fire spread to the top floor of the building. And firefighters did excellent job of containing the fire. The buildings on either side of the post office were not affected.

There were no evacuations or anything like that. The firefighters also tell Eyewitness News the mail inside of this post office facility was not affected, either.

As for the injuries, 14 firefighters suffered minor injuries one suffered from serious burns. They were transported to Cornell Medical Center.

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