At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed Sunday in a fire ignited by a malfunctioning portable space heater at a Bronx apartment complex, the city’s deadliest blaze in more than 30 years.
Thirteen people remained hospitalized in critical condition, New York Mayor Adams said at a news conference. In all, more than five dozen people were hurt. Most of the victims had severe smoke inhalation, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
The fire broke out in a bedroom of a duplex apartment on the second and third floors of the 19-story Twin Parks North West complex in New York City’s West Bronx around 11 a.m., according to the fire department. Victims were found on every floor of the building.
The apartment unit where the fire started had the door open, causing the fire and smoke to spread. There was no fire escape in the building.
The fire department said over 200 members responded to the scene. Officials said the fire was under control as of 1:27 p.m. ET.
“This is a horrific, epic, painful moment for the city of New York. The impact of this fire is going to really bring a level of pain and despair in our city. The numbers are horrific,” Adams said Sunday. “This is going to be one of the worst fires that we have witnessed during modern times here in the city of New York.”
The Bronx hasn’t had this “horrific” of a fire since the Happy Land fire in 1990, which killed 87 people, Nigro said. Sunday’s disaster was the biggest loss of life in a blaze in the city since that fire.
Sunday’s fire was also the deadliest at a U.S. residential apartment building since 2017 when 13 people died in an apartment building, also in the Bronx, according to data from the National Fire Protection Association.
Adams praised the responding firefighters, noting some ran out of oxygen in their tanks while attempting to rescue victims.
“Some of these firefighters, their oxygen tanks were empty and they still pushed through the smoke,” Adams said. “You can’t do this if you don’t feel attached to the city in this community, and I really want to thank them for putting their lives on the line to save lives.”
Adams said schools would be open and people displaced by the fire would be taken there to connect with family. He said the community was a “heavily immigrated community,” and government officials would work to help affected families find temporary and permanent housing. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she plans to establish a victim’s compensation fund.
“We’ll take care of them because that’s what we do here in the state of New York. We are here for the Bronx, and we’re here for anyone who needs us,” Hochul said.
Bronx borough President Vanessa Gibson said the American Red Cross would give food and blankets to affected families.
“We’re going to take care of every single resident that lives here at Twin Parks. We want to assure everyone that we will not leave you. This is devastating for all of us,” Gibson said.
The Bronx fire comes after a lithium-ion battery in an electric bike or scooter sparked a four-alarm fire in another part of the Bronx on Saturday morning, resulting in one firefighter sustaining minor injuries.
On Wednesday, 12 people, including eight children, were killed in a house fire in Philadelphia.
Contributing: Cady Stanton, USA TODAY; Associated Press
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