A deadly five-story building fire is burning at 660 E. 187th Street in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, with heavy smoke seen on multiple floors.

The blaze, initially described as a three-alarm fire at East 187th Street and Belmont Avenue, escalated to a five-alarm incident as heavy smoke prompted widespread street closures and evacuations.

By mid-afternoon, the fire had claimed at least one life and left several people injured as firefighters battled the flames across two to multiple floors of the structure.

FDNY officials planned a press briefing later in the day as the situation continued to develop with ongoing updates.

NYPD reported that several people were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries.

Residents were advised to stay indoors, close windows and doors, set air conditioners to recirculate, use HEPA cleaners if available, and wear N95/KN95 respirators if outdoors to protect against smoke.

Officials warned of delays and smoke exposure, providing multilingual and ASL resources to help the public understand alerts.

FDNY said the fire had grown to a five-alarm incident by about 4:00 p.m., with investigators on scene as operations continued.

Alerts were issued through X (formerly Twitter) by FDNY and Notify NYC, with residents urged to monitor official channels for updates and air-quality information.

Officials urged following FDNY, Notify NYC, and local air-quality tools for ongoing guidance as the situation unfolds.

Authorities confirmed at least one fatality in the fire.

FDNY reported 63 units and 192 personnel on scene; the blaze began around 1:30 p.m. and reached four alarms by 2:45 p.m.