During a live interview with The Guardian, this Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “This is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter-century. This is one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many many years.”
Excluding 9/11, this fire, which plagued a 5-story building, is the worst in New York since 87 people died in a social club in 1990. The only other blaze that came close after that is the space-heater mishap from 2007 that ended the lives of nine children and one adult.
The residential fire began as a child played with a stove on the first floor of the brick building. The structure, formerly located inside the Belmont section of the Bronx in a close-knit neighborhood, was not modern enough for sprinkler systems or an interior steel construction.
After the fire started on the first floor, it quickly spread up the five stories of the building. The blaze left 12 casualties, including four children. A 1-year-old was in the bathtub with her mother, who held onto the baby as they perished.
Five people passed away in the 25-apartment building during the fire, while seven succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Four others remain in critical condition, and one U.S. Army soldier, 28, is missing.
Over 160 firefighters answered the blaze alarm, arriving three minutes after it broke out at 6:51 PM. They received more than a dozen 911 calls regarding the fire in a short amount of time.
The losses weighed on heavy hearts, as family members repeatedly cried and passed out while ambulances from The American Red Cross picked up the victims. New York City’s mayor finished his interview regarding the tragedy with a strong message.
“In the middle of the holiday season is a time when families are together,” he said. “Tonight, here in the Bronx, there are families that have been torn apart.”
This article was inspired by NY DAILY NEWS // Twelve people dead in massive Bronx fire