Sunday’s fire at an apartment building in New York’s Bronx was caused by a malfunctioning electric heater. This is reported by the fire chief of the city of New York. Daniel Nigro said the fire “started in a malfunctioning electric heater” in a flat on the second and third floors of the 19-storey building.
The door of the flat was open, allowing the smoke to quickly spread into the building, the commander said during a press conference. Many residents “could not escape due to the large amount of smoke.” The fire service “found victims on every floor”, bringing out people who were in cardiac arrest or had stopped breathing. Nigro called the situation “unseen”.
At least 19 people have died in the fire, including nine children aged 16 and under, said Stefan Ringel, an adviser to Mayor Eric Adams. Dozens of others were seriously injured. According to the adviser, many people from Gambia lived in the building and there was also a large Muslim community.
Thirteen people are still in critical condition in hospital. In total, more than fifty people were injured, mainly from smoke intoxication.
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