At least 19 dead and dozens injured in NYC Bronx apartment fire

By Mike Hayes, Maureen Chowdhury and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 7:06 a.m. ET, January 10, 2022
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7:02 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

FDNY Commissioner says many firefighters ran out of oxygen while fighting the Bronx apartment fire

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

An aerial view of the apartment building after a deadly fire in the Bronx, on Sunday.
An aerial view of the apartment building after a deadly fire in the Bronx, on Sunday. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro told reporters Sunday there were no fire escapes on the apartment building that went up in flames, but there were stairways for escape.

"The residents should know where the stairwells are and I think some of them could not escape because of the volume of smoke," Nigro said. "I believe there's 120 apartments in the building. There's a very large number of people right now who need a place to stay."

He added fighting the fire was a very difficult job for rescue crews on scene.

"Smoke and heat travel upward, that we know -- that's what happened here," Nigro said.

"It was a very difficult job for our members. Their air tanks contained a certain amount of air -- they ran out of air, many of our members -- and they continued working to try to get as many people out as they could."

6:42 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

Politicians react to Bronx fire

From CNN's Gregory Clary

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her reaction to Sunday’s fire in the Bronx. Ocasio-Cortez represents part of the Bronx, but not the part where the fire took place.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also tweeted about the Bronx fire Sunday.

6:49 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

Names of Bronx fire victims who ask for government assistance will not be turned over to ICE, NYC mayor says

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

A worker who clean debris walks outside the scene after a deadly fire at an apartment building in the Bronx, on Sunday.
A worker who clean debris walks outside the scene after a deadly fire at an apartment building in the Bronx, on Sunday. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

The names of individuals who request government assistance following the five-alarm fire in the Bronx’s "heavy immigrant community" will not be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Sunday.

"If you need assistance, your names will not be turned over to ICE or any other institution. We want people to be comfortable in coming forward, and it's imperative that we connect with those on the ground to make sure they get that message and that word out," Adams said.

The mayor said the city would utilize Muslim leaders to connect with residents, as many people impacted from the fire are Muslim and from The Gambia, a small nation on the east coast of Africa.

10:14 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

Rep. Ritchie Torres says housing in the Bronx is 'quite old'

From CNN's Jim Acosta

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Torres told CNN's Jim Acosta Sunday housing in the Bronx is quite old.

The apartment building that caught fire Sunday was built in the 1970s, but Torres says there are many buildings in the borough even older.

"Not every building has a sprinkler system. Not every building has a functioning alarm. Not every building has a self-closing door. Many buildings lack what we would consider 21st century standards of fire safety," Torres said.
6:57 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

Rep. Ritchie Torres says he's skeptical about space heaters because they're a fire hazard

From CNN's Jim Acosta

Residents take refuge at a school cafeteria after a fire erupted at their apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday.
Residents take refuge at a school cafeteria after a fire erupted at their apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday. (Scott Heins/Getty Images)

Torres told CNN's Jim Acosta he's skeptical of space heaters.

"I’m skeptical about the use of space heaters because it’s an extraordinary fire hazard. There is often a chronic lack of heat and hot water, so people rely on space heaters to get heat. In addition to the space heaters in this building, the door was left open causing the fire to spread wildly and rapidly throughout the building," Torres said.

Torres said officials have to warn people about the fire hazards that come with the use of space heaters.

"We have to entrust upon people the need to close the door in the event there’s a fire to prevent it from spreading," he said. "And we have to ensure these federally-funded developments comply with local fire code."

10:23 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

Rep. Ritchie Torres: 'I'm in a state of shock'

From CNN's Jim Acosta

Firefighters work outside an apartment building after a fire in the Bronx, on Sunday.
Firefighters work outside an apartment building after a fire in the Bronx, on Sunday. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

Rep. Ritchie Torres, who was born and raised in the Bronx and whose district covers much of the South Bronx, told CNN's Jim Acosta Sunday, "I'm in a state of shock."

"The Bronx has been the scene of three catastrophic fires in the last 30 years," Torres said.

"I have constituents who have seen the world around them collapse. They’ve lost their children, their whole families, their homes," Torres added.

Torres said Sunday's fire is a "level of trauma and tragedy most of us will never know, and it’s going to take a long time to not only provide these families with temporary shelter, but to connect them to counseling and mental health services and enable them to recover from what has been an unspeakable tragedy."

6:13 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

FDNY Commissioner: Building built in 1972

From CNN's Amir Vera and Artemis Moshtaghian

A ladder leads up to a window after a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday.
A ladder leads up to a window after a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the apartment building that went up in flames Sunday was built in 1972.

The building is located in the Fordham neighborhood of in Bronx Borough and falls under New York City’s 15th City Council District represented by Oswald Feliz.

There have not been any major building violations or complaints listed against the 19-story building, according to NYC Building records.

Past minor violations were rectified by the property and there were no structural violations listed.

While the building has seven complaints and 14 violations, there is only one complaint and one violation open, with the one complaint having been filed by NYC Emergency Management requesting that the property owner conduct a structural stability inspection due to the fire.

The one open violation against the building structure is the failure to display energy efficiency score and energy efficiency grade as per the city's building code.

6:21 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

Sen. Chuck Schumer: 'At the federal level, we’ll do whatever we can'

From CNN's Amir Vera

Firefighter rescues people after a fire broke out in a building located in the Bronx, on Sunday.
Firefighter rescues people after a fire broke out in a building located in the Bronx, on Sunday. (Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer thanked the firefighters who battled flames in the Bronx apartment fire Sunday.

"They always rush to danger," he said. "They don’t worry about themselves, they just go in there."

Schumer added it was sad to think of the children, families and immigrants who lived in the building.

“It’s such a tragedy, thinking of children, thinking of families, thinking of so many people in this building, immigrants driving to climb that ladder up, and their lives snuffed out,” he said.

Schumer said federal officials will do whatever they can.

“At the federal level, we’ll do whatever we can," he said. "There is housing assistance, there is tax assistance, and maybe most important in this instance, immigration assistance so families can be united because many of these families have come from overseas and need to be here.”
6:02 p.m. ET, January 9, 2022

FDNY Commissioner: 'This fire started in a bedroom in a portable electric heater.'

From CNN's Amir Vera

The scene of a deadly fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday.
The scene of a deadly fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday. (Theodore Parisienne/NY Daily News/Getty Images)

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the fire began in an apartment that spans two floors -- the second and third floor of the building.

"It started in a malfunctioning space heater, that was the cause of the fire. The fire consumed the apartment that is on two floors and part of the hallway," he said.

"The door to that apartment – unfortunately when the residents left – was left open, it did not close by itself. The smoke spread throughout the building, thus the tremendous loss of life and people fighting for their lives right now in hospitals all over the Bronx," Nigro said.

"The marshals have determined through physical evidence and through first-hand accounts through residents that this fire started in a bedroom in a portable electric heater."