Fire At 285 Grand St Claims First Victim; Body Found Inside

Firefighters entered the badly burned and heavily damaged 285 Grand St late last night and found the body of elderly man laying on a bed in the sixth floor. The individual was not immediately identified. 87-year-old Sing Ho lived on the sixth floor and was missing after the blaze.

Photo Credit: Murray for Daily News

Previously: Fire at 285 Grand Street Leaves Behind Massive Destruction And Loss

UPDATED: Fire at 285 Grand Street Leaves Behind Massive Destruction And Loss

Over 60 units and 250 firefighters respond to the scene last night / Photo credit: New Jersey Metro Fire Photographer Bill Tompkins (via).

A fire at 285 Grand St less than 24 hours ago captivated and shocked a neighborhood with its menacing size, one of the worst blazes in Chinatown in years. The fire, visible from Brooklyn Heights, hung a massive plume of thick black smoke over Lower Manhattan and has left an 87 year old resident of the building unaccounted for.

Update:  Firefighters found the body of elderly man laying on a bed in the sixth floor.

Trapped inside the building while the fire raged and unable to see anything, Sing Ho called his relatives on the phone. "Nobody's coming to get me," he told his goddaughter.  Firefighters were pulling residents out of the building until approximately 11.30pm; shortly after they were ordered to evacuated. They are still unable to get into the building due to the structurally compromised condition.

See dramatic up close photos from the scene taken by New Jersey Metro Fire Photographer Bill Tompkins.

Fire officials said twenty-nine firefighters, three civilians, and one EMT worker were injured. One of the civilians was in serious condition.

UPDATED: Massive 7 Alarm Fire At 285 Grand St

A woman in Chinatown covers her mouth as 7 alarm fire rages behind her on Grand St / Photo credit David Perez Shadi (via).

The New York Times reports at least ten people were injured in the fire, which spread to three buildings that more than 250 firefighters and 60+ units responded to. Rescue crews first responded to the scene after a 911 call at 10.14 p.m. EDT, a New York Fire Department official said from the scene by telephone. He said the first crew arrived at the scene at 10.16 p.m.

UPDATE: FDNY officials said one 92-year-old man was critically hurt. Other reports of injuries have been noted.

Video below right was sent in from @blythjs, who explains it was filmed "about 30 minutes" (sent at 12.40am) and that the fire appears to be smaller now (12:54am).