2022 Bronx apartment fire

On the morning of January 9, 2022, a high-rise fire killed seventeen people,[1] including eight children,[2] at the Twin Parks North West, Site 4, high-rise apartment building in the Bronx, New York City, United States.[3] Forty-four people were injured, and thirty-two with life-threatening injuries were sent to five different borough hospitals.[4] Fifteen were in critical condition the day after the fire.[5][6]

2022 Bronx apartment fire
Twin Parks North West is located in Bronx
Twin Parks North West
Twin Parks North West
Twin Parks North West is located in New York
Twin Parks North West
Twin Parks North West
DateJanuary 9, 2022
Timec. 10:55 a.m. (UTC−05:00)
Location333 East 181st Street, Bronx, New York
Coordinates40°51′14″N 73°53′53″W
TypeHigh-rise fire
CauseElectrical space heater
Deaths17
Non-fatal injuries44

It was the third-worst residential fire in the United States in four decades,[7] and the deadliest fire in New York City since the Happy Land nightclub fire, which occurred nearby in 1990.[8][9] The Bronx fire was also the second major residential fire in the Northeastern United States within a one-week period, occurring four days after a fire in Philadelphia public housing resulted in 12 deaths.[10][11]

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by a defective space heater bursting into flames. Smoke spread through the building as a result of two malfunctioning self-closing doors, causing deaths throughout the building. The fire was largely confined to one apartment; all of the persons killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation,[12] while a dozen critically injured people were badly burned.[13]

Background
Main article: Twin Parks

The 19-story residential building Twin Parks North West, Site 4 contains a total of 120 apartments.[14] It is located on 333 East 181st Street near Tiebout Avenue. It is in the central Bronx, and part of the western segment of a "scatter-site" development project spanning the Fordham, Tremont and East Tremont neighborhoods.[5][15][3][16] It was built in 1972 as part of a state program to provide affordable housing.[14] Twin Parks won architectural awards[17] and was widely hailed at the time as the "cutting edge of urban design",[18][19] though it failed to live up to its initial promise.[20]

In 1977, the New York Daily News reported that Urban Development Corporation buildings, including the building that was the site of the 2022 fire, had inferior electrical wiring that could pose a fire hazard. The source of the problem was that under its mandate from the state, the UDC was not subject to building codes and other municipal regulations, and could issue its own certificates of occupancy. Inspectors with the Board of Fire Underwriters found "building violations of an electrical nature" at 333 East 181st Street, and another building at Twin Parks, along with other UDC properties.[21]

Twin Parks North West, Site 4, is currently owned and operated by a private partnership between LIHC Investment Group, Belveron Partners, and Camber Property Group, which purchased it along with other Bronx buildings in early 2020.[12] Camber's co-founders include Rick Gropper, a housing adviser to Mayor Eric Adams.[8]

At the time of the 2022 fire, the building housed a large Muslim West African population, notably many immigrants from The Gambia, as well as smaller communities from Mali and Burkina Faso.[22][23] Most of the Gambian and Gambian American residents of the building are from the same town of Allunhari (also spelled Allunhare), a community of approximately 5,500 people in the Upper River Division of The Gambia. Gambians from Allunhari began moving to the building around 1980.[24]

Fire

Just before 11 a.m. EST, an electric space heater ignited a fire in a duplex apartment on the second and third floor. The building's fire alarm system was triggered immediately. Although the first 9-1-1 calls were placed by neighbors who heard the alarms, some residents claimed that false alarms were common, and many initially believed that there was no fire or need to evacuate.[12][10]

External video
video icon | BBC News with Eyewitness Interviews

The fire itself was ultimately confined to the duplex apartment and the adjacent hallway, but heavy smoke quickly impeded visibility for escaping occupants.[25] Smoke quickly spread from the unit's open door to the rest of the building, hampering other residents attempting to evacuate.[26][27] Some residents recalled that the stairwells were especially lethal during the incident, and one reported "tripping over bodies."[12][25]

Within 3 minutes after ignition, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and other emergency services began arriving.[28] Rescuers found victims suffering from severe smoke inhalation on every floor of the building, some of them in cardiac or respiratory arrest.[29] The main challenge to firefighters' progress was the massive quantity of smoke generated by the fire, which extended the entire height of the building. Many continued to work through the life-threatening conditions even after exhausting their oxygen supplies.[30]

Around 200 firefighters responded in total,[31][32] and the incident was ultimately upgraded to a five-alarm fire.[31] The fire was declared under control by 3:30 p.m.[25] Seventy-two people were taken to local hospitals, of whom 34 were under age 18.[33]

Victims

Seventeen people were killed,[1] including eight children,[2] while 44 people were injured; 34 of the victims were under the age of 18.[6] About a dozen critically ill patients were transferred to specialized burn units in Manhattan, Westchester County and the Bronx after being stabilized at local hospitals.[13] All the deaths were due to smoke inhalation, with survivors treated for that as well.[12][5][13]

Among the victims was an entire Gambian immigrant family of five, including three children aged between 5 and 12, who fled an apartment on the top floor only to be overcome by smoke.[12][27] Another family lost four members.[34][35]

Identification of the dead was hampered by many not carrying identification. Tattoos, body jewelry, nail art and scars were used for identification purposes by the medical examiner’s office, as well as DNA matching. The result was a lag in identifying victims, especially children,[13] but all of the victims were identified by January 12.[36]

Investigation

FDNY investigators determined that the fire was caused by an electric space heater. The device had ignited a mattress after being left to run continuously for a "prolonged period."[10][12][28] As of 10 January 2022, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was investigating if the space heater itself had malfunctioned.[37] One resident stated that cold indoor temperatures were an ongoing problem requiring the additional use of space heaters;[38] while the building incurred 3 heating-related complaints in 2021, none were outstanding at the time of the fire.[12] New York City housing laws require that landlords maintain indoor temperatures of at least 68 °F (20 °C) during the day,[39] but a 2017 housing survey estimated that nearly 27% of households in the Fordham neighborhood utilized supplemental heat sources like space heaters.[40]

The fire (and initial propagation of smoke) was stoked by the involved unit's door remaining open after its occupants had escaped. While the building did not (nor was it required to) have sprinklers in most areas, it did conform to a 2018 city law requiring self-closing mechanisms on all apartment doors in buildings containing more than three units.[41]

According to the property owners, maintenance staff checked the involved unit's self-closing mechanism in July 2021 and found it to be in working order. After the fire, investigators found it inoperable — along with those on several other doors throughout the building.[42] Among the other failed mechanisms was one on a 15th-floor stairwell door; this second open door created a flue effect that rapidly accelerated the spread of heavy smoke throughout the rest of the building.[43][44]

Survivors of the blaze filed two lawsuits on January 12, claiming the tragedy was preventable and was due to negligence.[45] At least one of the plaintiff's attorneys is seeking class-action status against the three owners of the complex and the city and is seeking up to $3 billion in compensatory and punitive damages for the tenants.[46]

Aftermath

In a post-incident press conference, Commissioner Nigro said that when fires occur in high-rise fireproof buildings, "people should shelter in place," and that "it’s safer to be in your apartment than to venture out and try to get down the stairs and sometimes into a much more dangerous situation".[27]

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, announced that the city authorities would work to ensure Islamic funeral and burial rites for those killed in the fire would be respected, and Muslim leaders would be sought to help with the process and aid residents.[10]

Bronx-native and rapper Cardi B pledged to cover the funeral expenses of all 17 victims as well as repatriation costs for a number of the victims who are to be buried in Gambia.[47][48][49]

Multiple organizations spoke out about the fire and highlighted concerns such as fire safety and fire prevention measures that have not been updated due to being constructed prior to such requirements. Other organizations used the space heater as the ignition point to highlight those that were currently living in buildings without heat that may have to utilize other means; such as a space heater for heat.[50]

See also

References
  1. Bacon, John; Miller, Ryan W. (January 10, 2022). "New York mayor revises death toll to 17 in Bronx apartment fire, calls tragedy 'unspeakable'". USA Today. New York City. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. "NYC fire: 17 dead in Bronx apartment fire including 8 children". New York City: WNYW. January 9, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. Grabar, Henry (January 10, 2022). "The Bronx Building That Burned Was Supposed to Be Affordable Housing Done Right". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. OCLC 728292344. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022. What went wrong?
  4. Oladipo, Gloria (January 11, 2022). "'It looks like a war zone': horror as Bronx apartment building went up in flames". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  5. Mays, Jeffery C.; Watkins, Ali; Gold, Michael (January 10, 2022). "Updates: Mayor Revises Number Killed in Bronx Fire to 17, Including 8 Children". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  6. "Hospitals work to save critically injured after 17 killed, including 8 children, in Bronx fire". WABC-TV. January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  7. Ortiz, Jorge L. (January 9, 2022). "US residential fires have declined over the decades. Bronx blaze is a reminder how dangerous they can be". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  8. Southall, Ashley; Ashford, Grace; Marcius, Chelsia Rose (January 10, 2022). "19 Killed in New York City's Deadliest Fire in Decades". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  9. Gross, Jenny (January 10, 2022). "The fire was the deadliest in New York City since 1990". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  10. Cullinane, Susannah; Gingras, Brynn; Alsharif, Mirna; Vera, Amir; Kapp, Bonney (January 10, 2022). "Space heater sparked fire in the Bronx that killed 17 people, including 8 children". CNN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  11. Kasakove, Sophie; Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas; Robles, Frances; Robertson, Campbell (January 8, 2022). "18 People, a Deadly Fire: For Some, Crowded Housing Is Not a Choice". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  12. Fandos, Nicholas (January 11, 2022). "Two Open Doors Created 'Flue Effect' of Deadly Smoke at Bronx High-Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  13. Hughes, Jazmine; Piccoli, Sean (January 12, 2022). "Desperate Search for Those Missing in Bronx Fire: 'We're Still Waiting'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  14. Caspani, Maria (January 10, 2022). "NYC building space heater malfunction sparks fire that kills 19, including 9 children". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  15. "The Landscape of Housing: Twin Parks Northwest 40 Years On". Urban Omnibus. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  16. "All 17 Bronx's fire victims died of smoke inhalation; Vigil planned". ABC7 New York. January 11, 2022. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  17. Goldberger, Paul (December 27, 1973). "Twin Parks, an Effort to Alter the Pattern of Public Housing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  18. Paybarah, Azi (January 9, 2022). "32 Seriously Hurt in Bronx Apartment Building Fire, Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  19. "JV to keep $166M Bronx Mitchell Lama portfolio affordable". Real Estate Weekly. January 8, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022. To finance the project, the JV partners assumed New York State Housing Finance Agency and Freddie Mac loans serviced by Citibank, N.A. and JLL Capital Markets. The portfolio is broken into three phases. [...] Phase three consists of 331 units and two commercial spaces at 355-365 E 184th St and 333 E 181st St.
  20. Haag, Matthew (January 10, 2022). "Twin Parks North West opened in 1972 as a celebrated experiment in affordable housing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  21. Mayer, Martin; Gottlieb, Marvin (November 6, 1977). "Fire Warning! UDC Buildings May Be Unsafe". Daily News. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. Elassar, Alaa (January 9, 2022). "Major fire in Bronx apartment building leaves 19 people dead, including 9 children, officials say". CNN. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  23. Chung, Christine (January 9, 2022). "Bronx Apartment Building Was Home To a Large African Community". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  24. Ford, James (January 10, 2022). "Some Bronx fire victims identified, many from the same town in West Africa". WPIX. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  25. Chung, Christine; Gold, Michael (January 10, 2022). "What We Know About the Bronx Apartment Building Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  26. Vera, Amir (January 9, 2022). "FDNY Commissioner: 'This fire started in a bedroom in a portable electric heater". CNN. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  27. Zraick, Karen; Marcius, Chelsia Rose (January 10, 2022). "A Family of 5 Tried to Flee the 19th Floor. Smoke Overwhelmed Them". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  28. Schwartz, Matthew S.; Hernandez, Joe (January 9, 2022). "A fire in a Bronx apartment building leaves 19 dead, including 9 children". NPR. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  29. "FDNY: 19 Killed, Including 9 Children, In Bronx Apartment Fire". WCBS-TV. January 9, 2022. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  30. Palmer, Ewan (January 10, 2022). "NY firefighters ran out of oxygen at deadly Bronx fire. They didn't stop". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  31. Hernandez, Joe (January 9, 2022). "A five-alarm fire in the Bronx has left 19 people dead, including 9 children". NPR. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  32. Levenson, Eric; Studley, Laura; Joseph, Elizabeth (January 9, 2022). "Major fire in Bronx apartment building sends 32 people to the hospital, FDNY says". CNN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  33. Lewis, Caroline (January 10, 2022). ""You Just Don't Lose Many 12-Year Olds" — How Hospitals Coped With Influx Of Fire Victims Amid Omicron". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  34. "All 17 people who died in tragic Bronx fire identified by officials". January 12, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  35. Aponte, Claudia Irizarry (January 12, 2022). "These Are the 17 Victims of the Bronx Twin Parks Fire". THE CITY. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  36. "Authorities ID all 17 Twin Parks fire victims". News 12 - The Bronx. January 12, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  37. Hu, Winnie (January 10, 2022). "Despite safety measures, space heaters remain a fire risk". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  38. Porter, David; Price, Michelle L. (January 10, 2022). "Safety doors failed in NYC high-rise fire that killed 17". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  39. "Press Release - HPD Announces Start of the 2020-2021 "Heat Season" in New York City". NYC.gov. New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  40. "Homes Using Supplemental Heat". NYC Environment & Health Data Portal. New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey. 2017. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  41. Dorn, Sara (January 10, 2022). "After deadly Bronx fire, will NYC's self-closing door law be better enforced?". City & State. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  42. Mays, Jeffery; Watkins, Ali; Gold, Michael (January 10, 2022). "Mayor says a door in the Bronx high-rise may have malfunctioned and revises the number killed to 17". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  43. Paybarah, Azi (January 9, 2022). "32 Seriously Hurt in Bronx Apartment Building Fire, Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  44. "Space heater sparked 'horrific' Bronx fire: FDNY commissioner". New York: NY1. January 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  45. "Survivors of deadly Bronx fire file 1st lawsuit, lawyers claim negligence as cause". News 12 - The Bronx. January 12, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  46. Murphy, Edward D. (January 13, 2022). "Portland company sued over Bronx apartment fire that killed 17 people". Press Herald. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  47. Chapman, Wilson (January 19, 2022). "Cardi B Will Cover Funeral Costs for Bronx Fire Victims". Variety. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  48. "Cardi B will pay funeral expenses for Bronx fire victims". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  49. Mier, Tomás (January 19, 2022). "Cardi B Offers to Cover Funeral Expenses of All 17 Bronx Fire Victims". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  50. Ortiz, Erik (January 11, 2022). "Deadly Bronx fire puts focus on space heaters as 'symbols of inequity'". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.