Bronx Fire New York's Worst In Decades, Building Allegedly Violated Housing Norms

Twelve people, including a one-year-old baby, were killed in a fire that ripped through an apartment building in Bronx, New York, on Thursday evening.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio called the blaze “the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter-century.”

Four people were also critically injured in the fire that began in a walk-up apartment building at 2363 Prospect Ave., near East 187th Street around 7 p.m. EST. Commissioner of the New York Fire Department (FDNY) Daniel Nigro said that the flames quickly spread up through the five storey, 25-unit building and reached four-alarm status within an hour and became a 5-alarm fire later. About 170 firefighters responded to the scene and put out the blaze.

“The fire started on the first floor and quickly spread upstairs. People died on various floors, they range in ages from 1 to over 50. This tragedy is, without question, historic in its magnitude. Our hearts go out to every family who lost a loved one here and everyone fighting for their lives,” Nigro said.

“It will rank as one of the worst losses in a fire in many years. Based on the information now, I’m sorry to report twelve New Yorkers are dead, including one child. Four people are critically injured, fighting for their lives, and there are other serious injuries as well. Because of FDNY’s quick response, at least 12 people were rescued,” de Blasio added.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, FDNY said. Official records show that the fire department requested a structural stability inspection of the building by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB).

New York Times, citing property records reported that the building that was near East 187th Street, close to Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo was built in 1916. It had more than 20 units.

Meanwhile, speculations began on social media that the building where the fire began had several housing violations under its belt. Augrented, a building data app for renters, said on its Twitter page that it had multiple violations for missing smoke, carbon monoxide detectors this year .

A screenshot of the list of the complaints posted showed that a carbon monoxide detecting device was defective on the first storey of the apartment. A smoke detector also needed to be repaired on the same floor, the post stated.
Others on social media also blamed landlords and city officials for not reinforcing fire safety regulation.

However, officials records of the DOB did not show any of the violations reported by Augrented.

Residents who were rescued from the fire were forced outside into the extremely low temperatures coupled with winds. Many people,, including children, were left without coats and shoes, according to CW affiliate WPIX-TV. A school at 2474 Crotona Avenue opened for residents in need of housing.