1 dead, 6 injured in Trump Tower fire

Team Udayavani, Apr 8, 2018, 1:38 PM IST

New York: A fire broke out on the 50th floor of Trump Tower here, leaving one person dead and six firefighters injured, the New York City Fire Department said today. It said a 67-year-old man, identified as Todd Brassner, was found “unconscious and unresponsive” when firefighters arrived at the scene of the fire.

Brassner, a resident of the 50th floor of Trump Tower, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but later died, Fire Department spokeswoman Angelica Conroy said. The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death, CNN reported.

The fire was contained to the 50th floor of the tower, located on Fifth Avenue in New York. It was ruled under control around 9 p.m. (local time), two hours after it was originally reported, the FDNY tweeted. It also tweeted pictures of the building with several windows of the 50th floor ablaze.

Six firefighters suffered injuries that are not life threatening, Conroy was quoted as saying by the channel. No members of the Trump family were at the tower during the fire, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. President Donald Trump congratulated firefighters and tweeted that the fire was out.

“Fire at Trump Tower is out. Very confined (well built building). Firemen (and women) did a great job. THANK YOU!,” Trump tweeted. Before moving to the White House in January last year, Trump and the first lady lived in the triplex penthouse apartment, which occupies sections of floors 56-58, according to Forbes.

The apartments are listed on floors 66-68, although the building is technically only 58 stories. The headquarters of the Trump Organisation are on the 26th floor of the skyscraper.