On Sunday, January 10, 2022, a fire in a Bronx apartment on 333 East 181st Street in New York City killed 19 people.

Nine of the victims were children, and according to New York Times, “The 17 people killed in a Bronx fire this week all died from inhaling smoke that poured through a single malfunctioning door”.  The fire injured 63 people, 32 were sent to 5 different hospitals while in life-threatening conditions. New York City’s fire commissioner said it seemed to be a malfunctioning electric space heater in a bedroom in one of the apartments.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said, “The heat was on in the building. This ‘space heater’ was being used to supplement the building heat. There were smoke alarms throughout the building. The first call that came in was due to a neighbor hearing the smoke alarm and looking and seeing the smoke and calling.”  According to CNN10, “When residents left the fiery unit, the apartment door was left open, allowing the smoke and fire to spread. The doors in the building were supposed to close automatically, but the apartment door, as well as the door from the stairwell to the 15th floor, were not functioning properly.”  Daisy Mitchell, a 10th-floor resident who recently moved into her apartment, was one of the residents who had run to safety. She told CNN’s Brianna Keilar, her husband first smelled smoke and noticed the fire was happening. Some residents said they initially ignored wailing smoke alarms because false alarms were so common in the 120-unit building.

Most of the victims of the fire had not yet been publicly identified.  This means they either haven’t or can’t identify most of the victims.  The police are still investigating the scene and more information will be brought out in the coming weeks.