'Everything Is Gone': Bee-Line Buses Help Evacuate High-Rise Fire

NEW ROCHELLE, NY ? As residents watched their homes go up in flames, neighbors consoled each other and handed out bottled water and heart-shaped Valentine's Day doughnuts to those facing a sudden crisis.

A ladder truck from the Yonkers Fire Department joined New Rochelle firefighters battling a stubborn blaze in the most challenging of conditions Monday afternoon. Many of the residents of the Trinity Co-op said they were given moments to evacuate after fire broke out on the top floors of the six-story residential complex.

One resident of the building told Patch she had just gotten out of the shower when smoke began filling the corridors. The fifth-floor resident, who didn't want her name used, said she felt lucky to have escaped with the clothes on her back.

"It's all gone," she said "Everything is f***ing gone."

Beeline buses were requested to help evacuate residents who were displaced by the 3-alarm fire that broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Monday afternoon. The roof of the building has partially collapsed, but all fire crews inside are said to be accounted for.

As of 5:15 p.m., the fire was still burning in the six-story residential structure on Union Street. Gusty winds continue to make the blaze difficult to control. Black smoke and flames carried by the high winds can be seen as far as 2 miles away.

"Once the fire gets above the top floor, there's a little space on top of the building called the cockloft," New Rochelle Fire Chief Andrew Sandor told ABC New York City affiliate WABC. "The fire got up into there, and then it travels across the building. As you can see, actually, the crews made a great stop. What they do is they make what's called a trench cut, OK? They made the trench cut to stop it from going into the other wings. So we tried to save the rest of the building."

Sandor told the television station that there were no serious injuries reported.

A reception center has been opened at the nearby Fuller Center for residents to gather, get food and register with the Red Cross, according to a Red Cross spokesperson. The agency has opened a shelter for displaced residents who need it at the Monroe College Athletic Center at 19 Lecount Place.