US:19 dead in New York City apartment fire

In US, at least 19 people died, including nine children, and dozens were injured when a fire tore through a high-rise apartment building in New York City on Sunday. New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the fire “started in a malfunctioning electric space heater” in a bedroom of a duplex apartment on the second and third floors of the 19-story Twin Parks North West complex in New York City's West Bronx. The door of the apartment was left open, allowing smoke to quickly spread throughout the building, Nigro said.

Approximately 200 FDNY members are operating on scene of a 5-alarm fire at 333 East 181 Street in the Bronx. There are currently 31 serious injuries to civilians. pic.twitter.com/yrTYwOfonH

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 9, 2022

Mayor Eric Adams told CNN, adding that 63 people had been wounded. "This is going to be one of the worst fires in our history," he said. Thirteen people remained hospitalized in critical condition as of Sunday evening. At least 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out just before 11:00 am (1600 GMT) on the second and third floors of a 19-story building on East 181st Street, several blocks west of the Bronx Zoo. The 120-unit building in the Twin Parks North West complex was built in 1973 as part of a project to build modern, affordable housing in the Bronx.