An apartment fire that erupted Thursday evening (Dec. 28) in the Bronx borough of New York City has claimed the lives of at least 12 individuals and left 15 more wounded.
Speaking at a news briefing, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio verified that four of the 15 hurt remain in critical condition at a nearby hospital, with doctors working to save their lives. "This is the most devastating fire incident our city has endured in roughly twenty-five years," de Blasio remarked, noting that the event would stand among the deadliest fire-related tragedies the city has witnessed in recent memory.
Over 100 FDNY personnel battled the inferno amid bitterly cold conditions—temperatures hovering around 15 degrees—to bring the flames under control and evacuate residents. The chill was so severe that water discharged from the fire hoses froze into solid ice along the roadway.
Records maintained by the city's Department of Buildings indicate the structure is a five-story walk-up residential building containing 25 separate apartments. City documentation also revealed that the property, situated on Prospect Avenue close to East 187th Street and not far from the Bronx Zoo, lacked an elevator.
FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro reported that emergency crews received notification of the blaze at 6:51 p.m. EST and arrived on scene within three minutes. Nigro stated that the flames originated on the ground floor before racing upward to the fifth floor. "For a department that has certainly witnessed its share of sorrow, this loss leaves us stunned," he expressed.
"Fatalities occurred across multiple levels" of the apartment complex, Nigro noted, mentioning that the deceased ranged in age from a one-year-old to individuals over 50. Given the staggering death toll, Nigro characterized the incident as "unprecedented in its scale."
Luz Hernandez, a tenant of the building, recounted that she first sensed trouble when she detected the odor of burning rubber inside her fourth-floor residence. She described how the odor was swiftly overtaken by smoke dense enough to plunge her apartment into total darkness. She managed to locate her husband and their two sons, aged 11 and 16, and together the family of four exited through a window and descended the fire escape.
Maria Bonilla, a resident from a neighboring block, mentioned she was standing outside hoping to learn the fate of a friend's eight-month-old infant. "Numerous individuals were being carried out on stretchers, covered in burns," she shared with journalists covering the scene. "The fire was intense, absolutely terrible," Bonilla stated. "The whole scene was chaotic," she added.
Robert Gonzalez, a local resident whose friend occupies one of the building's apartments, told the Associated Press that his friend escaped via the fire escape while another tenant fled carrying five children. "By the time I arrived, she was sobbing," Gonzalez recalled.
Photographs and video clips from the location depicted firefighters transporting victims out on stretchers. The emergency crews managed to save several individuals by ascending ladders, reaching them inside their apartments, and carefully bringing them down to safety.
"Gratitude to the @FDNY and emergency responders for their courage and swift response," Mayor de Blasio posted on Twitter. "And appreciation to the medical teams at @SBHBronx and Jacobi Medical Center for their tireless efforts to preserve lives at this moment."
He continued, "I wish to extend my condolences to every family who has mourned the loss of a loved one tonight or who is currently enduring hardship. I urge all New Yorkers to hold them in your thoughts as well."
Authorities indicated that further details regarding the fire, including its origin, would be shared once the investigation yields available information.
