Roommates, we are sending our prayers out to those who have been affected by an apartment building fire that took place in the Bronx area of New York City early Sunday. Officials confirmed that 19 deaths occurred due to the fire, and of the 19 victims, nine of them were children that ranged from the ages 16 or younger.
According to ABC News, the fire occurred around 11 am on Sunday on East 181st Street, causing at least 200 firefighters to respond to the incident. Officials say that the fire started on the third floor of the 19-story building. Stefan Ringel, a senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams said that firefighters found victims on every floor and were taking them out of the building in cardiac and respiratory arrest.
He also added, that 13 people remain hospitalized in critical condition. There were reportedly more than five dozen people who were hurt. Most suffered from severe smoke inhalation. Mayor Eric Adams said, “This is going to be one of the worst fires that we have witnessed during modern times.”
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Officials say that the fire was caused by a malfunctioning space heater.
Cristal Diaz, one of the residents from the building described the scene and said, “Everything was crazy. We didn’t know what to do. We looked out the windows and saw all the dead bodies they were taking with the blankets.”
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said that the fire started in a duplex apartment that ranged from the second and third floors. Firefighters found the door to the apartment open, which they believed contributed to smoke spreading upward to the other floors within the building.
The death toll for this fire is being called the highest since the fire that took place at the Happy Land social club in 1990, which claimed the lives of 87 people.
As we previously reported, earlier this week a deadly fire took place at an apartment building in Philadelphia and claimed the lives of 12 people, eight of which were children.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
