At least 19 people were killed today, including nine children, when a fire broke out in a high-rise apartment building in the Bronx district of New York, the fire service of the American big city announced.
About 200 firefighters were mobilized at noon, local time, to put out the huge fire, which started from the third floor of the building which has 19 floors in total, just before 11:00 local time.
In a press conference given by the head of the New York fire department Daniel Nigro, he said that 32 people have been admitted to hospitals in critical condition, while the total number of injured amounts to at least 63.
Nigro added that he expects “many victims”, while he explained that children are among the injured.
The images circulating on social media show huge flames and thick smoke coming out of a window of the high-rise building.
“It will be one of the worst fires we have ever seen in modern times in New York City. We know there are 19 dead and many critically injured, with a total of more than 63 people injured,” said the mayor of New York. York Eric Adams, who has gone to the scene of the tragedy.
Firefighters arrived at the building three minutes after sounding the alarm and saw the flames in the hallway.
“Victims were found on each floor of the stairwell,” according to the fire chief as the smoke spread to the higher floors.
Nigro pointed out that the fire spread throughout the building, probably because the door of the apartment where it started was open.
Officials said the fire had been brought under control. At the same time, an investigation has been launched into the causes of the fire, although Nigro commented that there does not seem to be anything suspicious.
“The last time we experienced a correspondingly horrific loss of life was in a fire more than 30 years ago, again here in the Bronx,” he explained.
Nigro referred to the fire at the Happy Land nightclub in 1990, which killed 87 people. Then an angry man who was abandoned by his girlfriend, who worked in this club, set fire to the building after an argument he had with her.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
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Source From: Capital
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