Broadway actor Vincent Jamal Hooper, at present starring as Simba in “The Lion King,” was among the many tenants displaced final weekend after a 5-alarm fireplace at a Washington Heights residence constructing.
The Saturday night time blaze on the six-story dwelling on Fort Washington Ave. close to 164th St. drew 220 firefighters and EMS personnel shortly after 8:46 p.m. 9 individuals, together with three firefighters, suffered accidents. All of their accidents had been minor and never life-threatening, the FDNY stated.
The fireplace appeared to have began on the fourth ground earlier than spreading to the fifth ground, sixth ground and roof. It took about three hours to convey the fireplace below management, authorities stated.
Hooper, who was within the solid of “Hamilton” earlier than becoming a member of the musical primarily based on the Disney basic, realized of the fireplace as he walked to the constructing after a efficiency.
“I discovered the tragic situation as I approached my building after finishing work on Saturday night,” he wrote on GoFundMe. “This is an unprecedented moment for me and [a] setback that requires me to effectively start over.”
He stated he would share among the funds together with his neighbors. He’s raised greater than $22,000 after initially in search of lower than half that quantity.
“Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr. and nonprofit group Broadway Cares had been among the many first to donate.
A GoFundMe arrange for different tenants paints a dire image for all the constructing.
“At least six families who were on floors 4-6 have been displaced and have lost everything, and now 21 units from every floor have received a vacate order due to flooding, fire damage and ceilings caving in,” the platform recounted.
The reason for the fireplace stays below investigation.
With Theresa Braine
