A devastating fire on Sunday, January 9, 2022, in a residential high-rise left 17 people dead in the Bronx, according to numerous reports.
One of the deadliest fires in the history of New York City, the fire occurred at 333 East 181 Street. Eight children were among the dead, and dozens of other people were injured.
According to the Associated Press, a malfunctioning space heater sparked the fire, which filled the building with thick smoke. In a lawsuit, plaintiffs allege that the apartment building’s self-closing doors malfunctioned during the fire, allowing smoke to fill the halls and stairwells. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the apartment’s front door and a door on the 15th floor should have been self-closing and minimized the spread of smoke, but the doors remained open. Some residents reportedly said they initially ignored smoke alarms because false alarms were so common in the building, the Associated Press said. The heavy smoke blocked residents trying to exit and incapacitated others as they tried to flee; the building was too tall for fire escapes, so stairs were the only means of egress.
Humpday Hangout: Tragedy at 333 East 181st Street in the Bronx
Members of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) made numerous rescues from the fire in the 19-story building in the Fordham Heights neighborhood. The fire ultimately went to five alarms, and FDNY crews rescued occupants from every floor of the structure. Two firefighters were injured, according to the New York Daily News.
It was New York City’s deadliest fire since the 1990 Happy Land Social Club Fire in the Bronx. Days earlier, a house fire in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, took the lives of 12 people, including eight children.
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