At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed in an apartment fire in New York City on Sunday. Mayor Eric Adams announced this on Sunday, international news agencies report. He calls it “one of the worst fires we have seen in modern times.” Dozens of people have been injured and more than 200 firefighters have been dispatched to the 19-story building in The Bronx borough.
At least 60 people have been injured, at least 13 of whom are in critical condition. The majority of the victims suffered severe lung damage from smoke inhalation. Firefighters have found victims on every floor of the building, the FDNY fire chief said in a news conference. “That is unprecedented in our city.”
According to the FDNY commissioner, the fire started in a two-storey apartment on the second and third floors. The cause is still under investigation. Firefighters saw the apartment door open, a possible cause for the rapid spread of the fire and smoke. Images are shared on social media of two teenagers lowering themselves down a drainpipe, while meters high flames burst from the window frames. Also on display is a rescue ladder that reaches to the eighth floor.
Sunday’s fire comes just days after a house fire in Philadelphia killed 12 people, including eight children. All the victims were related to each other. A total of 26 people lived in the terraced house, which was divided into two apartments. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but investigators say it is possible that one of the young children played with a lighter after which the Christmas tree caught fire.
#people #killed #York #apartment #fire