Former Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw and his wife escape early morning New Year’s Day blaze at their Upper East Side apartment building
- Tom Brokaw and his wife had a lucky escape after their apartment building on the Upper East Side went on fire early on Wednesday morning
- The blaze happened two floors above Brokaw’s 12th-floor apartment on the UES
- He and his wife praised the NY Fire Department for their work tackling the fire
- It took around two hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control
Tom Brokaw, (pictured), and his wife had a lucky escape after their apartment building on the Upper East Side went on fire early on Wednesday morning
Tom Brokaw and his wife had a lucky escape after their apartment building on the Upper East Side went on fire early on Wednesday morning.
The former NBC Nightly News anchor, 79, and his wife woke up to the blaze which was apparently two floors above their 12th-floor apartment.
He told the New York Post: ‘We’re safe, and we were very, very impressed with the work of the NY Fire Department.
‘It was close to the south floor of our building and it was fully involved by the time they got here.’
‘We were awakened by their presence, frankly. Our dogs began to bark and we realized, we looked down in our elevator area and the fire department was coming up.’
Over 100 firefighters were sent to the fire at 12.30 am on the 14th floor of the landmark building on East 79th Street.
It took around two hours for firefighters to bring the fire under control. According to the New York Post, six people including five firefighters sustained non-life threatening injuries.
The former NBC Nightly News anchor, 79, and his wife woke up to the blaze which was apparently two floors above their 12th-floor apartment
‘It could’ve been a lot worse.It was great property loss for the family.
The owners of the unit where the blaze erupted were away and could not be reached Wednesday.
Brokaw called the owners of the apartment where the fire broke out as a ‘wonderful family.’
Firefighters used Brokaw’s back entrance and kitchen as ‘a staging area’ as they tackled the fire
A spokesperson for the property’s manager, 66 East 79th Street Corporation, claimed ‘there’s a significant amount of damage’ due to the blaze which broke out
‘It could’ve been a lot worse. It was great property loss for the family.’
He described the building which was built in 1926 as ‘kind of a jewel on the Upper East Side.’
He said firefighters used his back entrance and kitchen area as ‘a staging area’ as they tackled the fire.
‘No damage to our unit. We got a little smoke. Really, it’s a cautionary tale about living in the danger of fire. But thank God for the New York Fire Department.’
A spokesperson for the property’s manager, 66 East 79th Street Corporation, claimed ‘there’s a significant amount of damage’ due to the blaze which broke out.