Young Boy Killed in Bronx Apartment Building Fire

A 6-year-old Bronx boy died Friday after a fire in a trash chute filled a third-floor hallway in the Mitchel Houses with smoke, police said.

Firefighters responded to the 20-story public housing building at 303 East 135th St. in Mott Haven at 5:17 p.m. where the fire was pushing heavy smoke to the upper floors of the building, according to the FDNY.

Both the 19th and 20th floors of the building were scorched black.

The 6-year-old, identified by police as Aiden Hayward, and a 32-year-old man were found unconscious in a third-floor hallway.

Authorities rushed Aiden, a building resident, to Harlem Hospital, but the boy succumbed to smoke inhalation at 6:37 p.m., said police.

“The boy came out first,” resident Tahnia Brown said. “His skin color was off and they were pumping his chest. He was unresponsive when they put him into the ambulance.”

The man was listed in critical condition at a local hospital.

“He was burned,” Brown said of the man. “His skin was coming off. He was pink.”

A dozen others were injured in the blaze, including two firefighters, who were treated for minor injuries.

“I ran out with my shoes and socks,” Brown said. She also hustled her 7-year-old and two brothers out of the building. “We’re lucky we got out alive.”

First responders extinguished the blaze about 7:30 p.m., the Fire Department said.

City fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.

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