A fire at a Bronx high-rise apartment on Sunday killed 17 people, including 9 children, and is being called one of the deadliest since the 1990 Happy Land arson that killed 87 people. Daniel Nigro, commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, added that 63 people were injured in the fire, with 32 people being sent to the hospital with life-threatening injures.
Nigro also revealed that a "malfunctioning electric space heater" was the source of the fire, which spread through an open door in the building. About 200 members of the New York City Fire Department responded to the fire at the 19-story building, and they were met by "very heavy smoke, very heavy fire in the hallways.
Mayor Eric Adams addressed the tragedy, stating, "This is a horrific, horrific, painful moment for the city of New York, and the impact of this fire is going to really bring a level of just pain and despair in our city.
