Washington Heights Fire Leaves 1 Critically Injured, FDNY Says

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A man was critically injured when a fire broke out in a Washington Heights public housing development, an FDNY spokesman said.

Firefighters responded to a building within the Ralph J. Rangel Houses development on Harlem River Drive in the vicinity of West 160th Street around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, an FDNY spokesman said. Smoke and fire was located on the building's fourth floor, the spokesman said.

The fire was placed under control by 6 p.m. and a man was transported to New York Presbyterian hospital suffering critical injuries, an FDNY spokesman said. A firefighter suffered minor injuries, the spokesman said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Ralph J. Rangel Houses are operated by the New York City Housing Authority. The eight-building development takes up nearly 11 acres along the Harlem River and each building rises 14 stories tall, according to NYCHA data.

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