At least 19 people were killed, including 9 children, in a Sunday fire that engulfed an apartment building in the Bronx, officials said. Mayor Eric Adams said the probable cause of the fire was a malfunctioning electric space heater.
The blaze at the 19-story apartment building on East 181st Street in Fordham Heights is being called one of New York City’s worst in 30 years.
The FDNY says more than 60 people were injured — with 32 suffering from life-threatening injuries.
Approximately 200 FDNY members are operating on scene of a 5-alarm fire at 333 East 181 Street in the Bronx. There are currently 19 serious injuries to civilians. pic.twitter.com/R3pnXs8NlX
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 9, 2022
Approximately 200 FDNY members are operating on scene of a 5-alarm fire at 333 East 181 Street in the Bronx. There are currently 31 serious injuries to civilians. pic.twitter.com/yrTYwOfonH
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 9, 2022
Reports of 37 people injured in Bronx 5-Ala fire this morning, at least 7 people are in life threatening condition.
Video by Javier Qulies (FNTV https://t.co/KCfJ0kwvkq ) https://t.co/0XYbkSu3qb pic.twitter.com/4Dw9nO206h
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) January 9, 2022
#BREAKING: Over 41 people have been seriously injured in a residential building fire in the Bronx, New York. Over 200 FDNY members are on scene. pic.twitter.com/qCXT2KU7B8
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) January 9, 2022
.@NYCMayor is briefed by @FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro at the scene of the 5-alarm fire at 333 East 181 Street in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/wFHI6Srpoh
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 9, 2022
Firefighters “found victims on every floor and were taking them out in cardiac and respiratory arrest,” said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “That is unprecedented in our city. We expect there to be numerous fatalities.”
“There were certainly people trapped in their apartments all through this building,” Nigro added.
Nigro later told reporters at a news conference the fire “started in a malfunctioning electric space heater.”
Mayor Adams said, “This is going to be one of the worst fires we have witnessed here in modern times in the city of New York.”
The exact cause of the deadly blaze is under investigation.
