The Office of Chief Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death of a woman found in a burning Bronx apartment building on Friday, according to a spokesperson from the New York Police Department.
Firefighters and police found the body of the 73-year-old woman in her apartment while they were responding to a fire inside her building. She was pronounced dead at the scene. FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Duggan said during a press conference that her death was unrelated to the fire.
A spokesperson for the NYPD said the identity of the woman is being withheld until her family is notified.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to questions about the cause of death.
Firefighters and police arrived at 1520 Sheridan Ave. at around 3 P.M. Friday afternoon. The fire had started on the top floor of the six-story building and expanded into the building’s cockloft, the gap between the ceiling of the top floor and the roof. The woman’s body was found in an apartment on the same floor. The fire was under control within three hours.
Duggan said 170 firefighters and EMS staff reported to the scene. A total of nine people, including three firefighters and four police officers, suffered minor injuries resulting from smoke inhalation. The two civilians who were injured declined to be taken to the hospital.
The fire department did not respond immediately to questions about the cause of the fire.
