Firefighter Who Plummeted 40 Ft. While Battling UWS Fire Released From Harlem Hospital

A firefighter who miraculously survived a fall down a 40 ft. shaft on Nov. 1, during a six-alarm fire at a W. 145th St. building, is able to walk on his own after being released from Harlem Hospital five days later.

Christopher Zambrzycki, of Engine 58, emerged from the hospital entrance on Nov. 6–with what can be described as merely a slight limp–to rousing cheers from gathered firefighters and supporters. Cracking a smile, he told reporters that he was very grateful to be safe and cared-for: “I want to thank the FDNY for being a true family, thank all the companies that were able to get to me so quickly and get me out of that situation. I also want to thank the hospital, they were great to me, their staff and nurses. They really helped me out and helped me with this recovery.”

On social media, the FDNY posted a video that showed Zambrzycki being wheeled through the hospital proper to applause from nurses and hospital staffers. When he reached the doorway, he managed to push himself upright and walk to a waiting limo using a cane, in a promising sign that his injuries are healing.

FDNY fire marshals determined that the fire at 528 W. 145th St. was caused by an errant power cord plugged into a lamp. More than 40 residents of the six-story building were displaced by the blaze which began on the second floor and was called in at around 2:40 p.m. The fire spread rapidly up to the uppermost sixth floor, where it began dramatically surging out of the windows. Ten apartments were caught in the blaze.

A total of 198 firefighters and EMS personnel, including Zambrzycki, responded to the scene. Zambryzycki was battling the blaze when he tripped backwards through a window into the shaft, which the FDNY said was located in the rear of the building. Firefighter rescue teams and EMS medical personnel were able to reach him quickly–which appeared to save his life. He was rushed in “serious” but stable condition to the hospital.

Bystanders reportedly said that the fire appeared to be briefly under control, but that it had reignited by the time it spread upwards. At a press conference a few hours after the fire was extinguished, FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods explained that “these old buildings have many, many voids, and the fire gets into these voids.”

In another social media post that doubled as a PSA over how to safely use a lamp, the FDNY described the fire as “avoidable.” They provided the following advice: regularly inspect your electrical appliance cords and outlets for damage, don’t nail or staple electrical cords in place, don’t cover cords under rugs, and pull the plug if a cord gives off an odor or feels warm to the touch.

Readers that want more details on how to safely use appliances can go to http://FDNYSmart.org.