A massive fire broke out on Sunday at a residential apartment building in the Bronx, New York City, killing 19 people, including nine children, in what has been described as one of the city's deadliest fires in modern times.
NYC Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Negro said Sunday that the fire sent 32 people to hospitals with life-threatening conditions.
A total of 63 people were injured.
During a press conference Commissioner Negro said a "bad electric space heater" was the source of the fire.
The heater was in the bedroom of an apartment, and the fire consumed the room and then the entire apartment, he said.
The door of the apartment was left open and when residents left their unit, smoke spread throughout the building.
Mayor Eric Adams said it was a "terrible, painful moment" for the city.
"The impact of this fire will really bring a level of pain and despair to our city," he said.
'Unprecedented loss of life'
About 200 members of the NYC Fire Department responded to the fire in a 19-story building at 333 East 181 Street.
The FDNY said the fire started just before 11 a.m. in a duplex apartment on the second and third floors of the building.
Firefighters met with "very heavy smoke, very heavy fire" in the hallway.
Victims were found in stairs on every floor of the building, several in cardiac arrest, Commissioner Negro said, adding that it could have been an unprecedented loss of life.
He said the injuries were mainly from breathing in the fumes.
Commissioner Negro said firefighters continued to try to rescue people from the building even after the air tank ran out.
If you’re interested in helping those affected by today’s fire in the Bronx, you can give to @NYCMayorsFund: https://t.co/iPCFCmF88R
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 10, 2022
Your entire donation will go towards those impacted. pic.twitter.com/Bqa9xtLRCp
Some residents who tried to leave the building "couldn't escape because of the amount of smoke."
"This is going to be one of the deadliest fires we've seen in modern times here in New York City," Adams said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Twitter: "I am horrified by the massive fire in the Bronx today."
“My heart goes out to the loved ones of all those we have sadly lost, all those affected and with our heroic FDNY firefighters.
"The entire state of New York stands with New York City."
As per the building records, the residential apartment where the fire broke out is 50 years old and consists of 120 units.
According to the city's construction records, no major building violations or complaints have been listed against the building.
Previous minor breaches were corrected by the property and no structural violations were listed.
Community mourning
Adams said the building where the fire broke out had a largely Muslim population.
The mayor said a priority would be to ensure that Islamic funerals and burial rites were respected.
The second would be to find Muslim leaders to connect with the residents.
Mr Adams said the names of those who request government assistance will not be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
NYC's First Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Management Christina Farrell told CNN's Phil Mattingly on Sunday that residents living in the apartment building are now being housed in a middle school next door.
"We are able to give them food, a warm spot, water, any short-term needs," Farrell said.
"We hope that many of them will be able to return to their apartments in the coming days," she said. "But for those who are out for a long time, we will work with them and the state to ensure that they get proper accommodation."
Ms Hochul said on Sunday she met survivors of the fire, including a mother who was the sole survivor of her family.
"It is impossible to go into the room where so many families are in pain, and I held it to see it in the eyes of the mother who lost her entire family," he said.