NEW YORK CITY — At least 19 people are dead, including nine children, following a massive fire in New York City on Sunday, officials said.
More than 200 firefighters responded to the scene of the five-alarm fire that originated Sunday morning in a duplex apartment on the third floor of a high-rise building located in the Tremont section of the Bronx, officials said. More than 60 people were injured in the fire, according to the New York City Fire Department.
At least 13 others have life-threatening injuries in Bronx hospitals, officials said.
Many of the injured victims were located on the upper floors, officials said, adding that they likely suffered from severe smoke inhalation, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said during a press conference Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes of the initial 911 call and were met with fire in the hallways, Nigro said. A door that was left open allowed the fire and smoke to spread, Nigro added, describing the fire as "unprecedented."
"This is going to be one of the worst fires we have witnessed here in modern times in the city of New York," New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters Sunday.
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
Dramatic pictures posted to social media show fire gushing out of multiple windows in the building. FDNY began receiving calls from multiple residents on upper floors just before 11 a.m.
The fire has since been put out.
Additional details, including the conditions of the other victims, were not immediately available.
This was the second major fire in the Bronx over the weekend. A four-alarm fire in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx that began early Saturday morning injured a firefighter and displaced three families, ABC New York station WABC reported. A lithium-ion battery sparked the fire, officials said.
Last week, a fire that broke out on the second story of a row house in Philadelphia killed 13 people, including seven children.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
