19 people, including 9 children, killed in Bronx apartment fire, officials say
A fire broke out at an apartment building in the Bronx on Jan. 9, 2022. (Credit: Citizen App)
NEW YORK (AP) — Nineteen people, including 9 children, have been killed in an apartment fire in New York City, in what the city's fire commissioner called one of the worst blazes in recent memory.
The fire commissioner said that a malfunctioning electric space heater is believed to be the cause of the fire.
A fire official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the death toll Sunday to The Associated Press, while a city official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the number of children dead.
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Dozens of people were injured and at least 32 people were hospitalized with life-threatening conditions. According to the FDNY, approximately 200 firefighters responded to the scene Sunday at the Twin Park apartments, a 19-story building on East 181st Street.
A ladder leads up to a window after a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York. The majority of victims were suffering from severe smoke inhalation, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Firefighters work outside an apartment building after a fire in the Bronx, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A curtain hangs outside a window at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York, where a fatal fire occurred, in what the city's fire commissioner called one of the worst blazes in recent memory. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Firefighters work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York. The majority of victims were suffering from severe smoke inhalation, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, 3rd right, walks by an apartment building where a deadly fire occurred in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York. The majority of victims were suffering from severe smoke inhalation, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a press conference that firefighters "found victims on every floor and were taking them out in cardiac and respiratory arrest. That is unprecedented in our city. We expect there to be numerous fatalities."
Video above shows press conference as the developments were breaking
According to Nigro, Sunday's fire originated in a duplex apartment spanning the second and third floors. Firefighters found the door to the apartment open, he said, which apparently allowed the fire to accelerate and spread smoke upward quickly.
The fire is not believed to be suspicious in origin but the cause is under investigation.
CLEVELAND (WJW) -- The Cleveland Browns' defensive tackle, Malik McDowell, faces several charges including of public exposure and beating a deputy in Florida.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports he was arrested in a "violent attack" in Deerfield Beach Monday. An arrest report states he charged at and injured a deputy during the incident, the newspaper reports.