Chantel Rodriguez 

Staff Writer

Cvr5570@psu.edu

Sunday morning, a fire broke out at a Bronx apartment building due to a failing electric space heater, and quick-fire spread with smoke inhalation claiming the lives of 17 people, including eight children. 

New York Mayor Eric Adams said Monday, “it is one of the worst fires in the city’s history.”  He adds that the high-rise was home to a huge close-knit immigrant neighborhood, with many from Africa. 

Governor Kathy Hochul announced during a news summit a compensation fund will be created to specifically aid this community. They seek help to support the victims who now must deal with the costs of funerals, housing replacement, and other vital needs.

Over 200 firefighters were sent to extinguish the fire at Twin Park North West but were faced with locating victims almost on every floor, as the city’s fire commissioner Daniel A. Nigro described. Commissioner Nigro mentions that most victims were afflicted with severe smoke inhalation. The building had only stairwells, no fire escapes, and fire alarms went off frequently, as described by resident Karen DeJesus who lived doors down from the fire’s origin.

“So many of us were used to hearing that fire alarm go off, so it was like second nature to us until I could see the flames; I can see the smoke and everything, you know, coming into my apartment,” DeJesus mentioned. “You’re being trapped somewhere. As you see, we have no fire escapes. The building was not fireproof like we thought it was,” she details. 

DeJesus recalls the heroic efforts of the firefighters breaking down her door to free her granddaughter and son. They all had to climb out of a window to avoid the flames of their building.

“Though people should have been aware of escape routes, heavy smoke limiting visibility likely prevented people from escaping,” through hallways, Commissioner Nigro adds. 

Officials investigating the cause of the fire were led back to a bedroom where the faulty space heater was located, and the apartment door was left open after the occupants fled. It caused smoke to fill the hallways fast and create thick smoke clouds trapping the tenants in stairwells. It led officials to investigate possible malfunction issues with doors not closing correctly.  

Mayor Adams said fire marshals would inspect the self-closing doors to see the possibility of a failure. In 2018, New York approved a law requiring self-closing doors in more than three apartment buildings.

“We have a law here in NYC that requires doors to close automatically,” Adams said. “We also want to double down on that PSA that I recall as a child… close the doors,” he mentioned. 

The official’s investigation led to unfolding the 120-unit apartment building history of building violations and multiple dozens of citations on file.  

As authorities continue their investigation, two surviving tenants will take action against the building. The tenants will proceed with a lawsuit against the building’s owners contending that the doors failed, the fire alarms had issues of constantly signaling a fire, and the owners failed to provide sufficient heat to the building.