A major fire in an apartment building in the Bronx killed a four-year-old and left more than 60 others injured.
The five-alarm blaze erupted shortly before 11 am on the third floor of a 19-story building at 333 East 181st St in Fordham Heights.
A four-year-old died in the fire, the New York Post reported.
‘We didn’t know what to do. We looked out the windows and saw all the dead bodies they were taking with the blankets,’ Cristal Diaz, who lives in the fifth floor, told the Post.
Diaz’s niece, 13-year-old Alanny, reportedly saw ‘moms fainting at the sight of their kids dying.’
The fire at the Twin Parks North West complex quickly progressed.
More than 200 firefighters across the borough responded to the scene. The FDNY said icy conditions made it difficult for firefighters to put out the blaze.
At least 54 people have been injured, the FDNY said.
The five-alarm blaze erupted shortly before 11 am on the third floor of a 17-story building at 333 East 181st St in Fordham Heights
Nineteen were treated at the scene and 35 others have beed taken to nearby hospitals, many of whom are in serious conditions, officials said.
NYC mayor Eric Adams and Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro are at the scene evaluating the situation.
Nigro said during a press conference that a door to the apartment was opened, leading to the spread of the fire.
‘The smoke conditions in this building are unprecedented,’ Nigro said.
Diaz said she fled her apartment upon learning about the fire.
‘I was drinking coffee in the living room and I started smelling smoke. We started putting water on towels and the bottom of the door. Everything was crazy,’ Diaz told the Post.
‘We saw a bunch of bodies coming out. People from my childhood were dying,’ he niece, Alanny added.
Source: dailymail
