Fire
The fires are preventable and fairly rare, but they can be uniquely destructive.
None of the injuries were life threatening, officials said.
The blaze comes just two weeks after another early morning fire killed two people – a 52-year-old man and his 91-year-old mother – in an apartment on nearby Mulberry Street.
Eight city firefighters in total were sent to the hospital Sunday afternoon; five were still hospitalized as of Sunday evening, Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday evening.
Fire officials are investigating five separate blazes that were reported in the Manhattan neighborhood between 5 and 6 a.m. Thursday.
The NYPD also shared a photo of the suspect purchasing gas from a nearby gas station prior to the blaze. The motivation for the crime remains unknown.
The Bronx Fire Relief Fund raised more than $4 million for victims of the January blaze, but survivors say they have seen only a fraction of the money.
A Brooklyn apartment fire leaves two dead and a third with minor injuries as officials investigate the cause.
The necessity of self-closing doors, which are a city requirement in large residential buildings, were highlighted in the horrific Twin Parks fire last month which killed 17 people.
The blast marked the second recent tragedy in the Bronx following a fire last week that killed 17 people.