19 people, including 9 children, dead in NYC apartment fire

At least 19 people, including nine children, died in a fire at an apartment in Bronx, New York, on Sunday.

Approximately 200 firefighters responded to the scene on Sunday at the Twin Park apartments, a 19-story building on East 181st Street.

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Stefan Ringel, a senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams, said that over five dozen people were injured in the fire and 13 of them remained hospitalized in critical condition. 

The majority of victims were suffering from severe smoke inhalation, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said at a press conference.

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Firefighters “found victims on every floor and were taking them out in cardiac and respiratory arrest,” he said at an afternoon briefing. “That is unprecedented in our city. We expect there to be numerous fatalities.”

He added that Sunday’s fire originated in a duplex apartment spanning the second and third floors. Firefighters found the door to the apartment open, he said, which apparently allowed the fire to accelerate and spread smoke upward quickly. The fire is not believed to be suspicious in origin but the cause is under investigation.

A resident of the building, Cristal Diaz, 27, told the New York Post she was drinking coffee in her living room when she smelled the smoke.

“We started putting water on towels and the bottom of the door. Everything was crazy,” she said. “We didn’t know what to do. We looked out the windows and saw all the dead bodies they were taking with the blankets.”

Meanwhile, calling the fire’s toll “horrific,” Mayor Eric Adams said, “This is going to be one of the worst fires that we have witnessed during modern times.”