NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2022) The catastrophic fire at a high-rise apartment building in the Bronx that left over a dozen people dead, including children, was caused by an electric heater, New York City authorities said.
"It appears as though this stemmed from a space heater," New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Sunday afternoon.
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Daniel Nigro confirmed this information at the same press conference.
"The marshals have determined through physical evidence, and through first-hand accounts by the residents that this fire started in a bedroom, in a portable electric heater," Nigro said.
According to the commissioner, the FDNY is now investigating how the smoke travelled through the building.
"This fire began in the apartment that spans two floors on the second and third floor of the building. It started in a malfunctioning electric space heater, that is the cause of the fire, the fire consumed that apartment ... and part of the hallway; the door to that apartment unfortunately when the residents left was left open, it did not close by itself, the smoke spread throughout the building, thus the tremendous loss of life," Nigro explained.
Earlier in the day, Adams confirmed that at least 19 people, including nine children, died in the fire that erupted on Sunday morning.
Firefighters said that more than 60 people were injured in the fire, including 32 with life-threatening injuries and nine with serious injuries.
According to the FDNY, this was one of the worst fires that the city of New York witnessed in modern times.
