A fire in a Bronx apartment complex has killed 19 people, including nine children.
(CSU)On Sunday, a large fire at a residential apartment building in the Bronx, New York City, killed 19 people, including nine children, in one of the city’s worst fires in recent memory, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
According to Daniel Nigro, commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, the blaze sent 32 individuals to hospitals with life-threatening injuries. 63 persons were hurt in all.
During a news conference, Nigro stated that the incident was caused by a “malfunctioning electric space heater.” According to him, the heater was in a bedroom of an apartment; The fire engulfed the room before spreading across the structure.
When the residents left their apartment, the door was left open, and smoke spread throughout the building, according to Nigro.
“This is a dreadful, horrific, painful moment for the city of New York,” Adams said, “and the impact of this fire will truly bring a level of tremendous agony and sadness in our city.”
The incident at the 19-story skyscraper at 333 East 181st Street drew about 200 personnel of the New York City Fire Department. Just before 11 a.m., a fire broke out. In a duplex flat on the building’s second and third levels, according to the FDNY.
In what Nigro described as an “extraordinary loss of life,” victims were discovered in stairwells on every floor of the building, several in cardiac arrest. According to him, the majority of the injuries were caused by smoke inhalation.
Despite running out of oxygen, firefighters continued to try to save individuals from the structure, according to Nigro. Some residents attempting to evacuate the building were unable to “escape due to the intensity of smoke.”
Ladders stretching into apartment windows, as well as a number of damaged windows, were shown in many photographs shared by the FDNY. “This is likely to be one of New York’s most significant fires in recent memory,” Adams predicted.
“I am shocked by the devastating fire in the Bronx today,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated on Twitter. “My heartfelt condolences to those who have died, those who have been impacted, and our courageous FDNY firefighters.” “The whole state of New York stands with New York City.”
According to building documents, the residential flat where the fire happened is 50 years old and includes 120 apartments. According to local building records, there have been no major building violations or complaints filed against the structure. The property had already corrected minor problems, and there were no structural violations recorded.
The Muslim and immigrant communities are impacted by the apartment fire.
According to Adams, the building where the fire happened contained a predominantly Muslim population, with many immigrants from the Gambia, a small African country on the west coast.
One of the mayor’s top priorities, he stated, will be to ensure that Islamic funeral and burial customs are observed. Another option is to seek out Muslim leaders who can interact with locals.
According to Adams, the names of persons who seek government aid will not be shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We want individuals to feel safe coming forward,” Adams said. “It’s critical that we interact with those on the ground to make sure they get that message and word out.”
According to Christina Farrell, first deputy commissioner of NYC emergency management, residents of the apartment complex are currently being moved to a middle school next door.
“We’ve gathered all of the locals. We were able to provide them with food, a warm environment, water, and any other immediate requirements. People brought their pets, so we’re trying to find them a place to stay this evening, “According to Farrell. “We collaborate with the Red Cross, have hotel rooms and other resources on hand. As a result, we’ll make sure that every family has a secure, warm place to sleep tonight.”
According to Farrell, a service center will open on Monday.
“We expect many of them will be able to return to their apartments in the coming days,” she said. “However, for those who remain homeless for an extended period of time, we will work with them and the state to find them suitable accommodation.”
Hochul claimed she spoke with survivors of the fire, including a mother who was her family’s sole survivor, at a press conference on Sunday.
“It’s impossible to walk into that room and see it in the mother’s eyes as I hugged her, who has lost her entire family,” she said.
Hochul said she would establish a compensation fund as she prepares her new budget this week to help victims of the fire with housing, burial bills, and other necessities.
Hochul remarked, “Tonight is a night of tragedy and pain, and tomorrow we begin to reconstruct.” “We reconstruct their lives and give them hope, particularly those who have come all the way from Africa [from] the Gambia in quest of a better life right here in the Bronx.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also addressed at the event, saying that the federal government is looking into a variety of options, including housing, tax, and immigration assistance, “so that families can be reunited.”
The location of Gambia was incorrectly mentioned in an earlier version of this story. It’s located in West Africa.
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