New York medical workers are still struggling to save the lives of more than a dozen people critically injured by a fire in a Bronx apartment building that killed 19 people.
At least 44 people were injured, including 13 “clinging to their lives.” The victims are spread out among New York’s hospitals.
“We just want, right now, to give the families the support they deserve and let the marshals do their job to determine what happened here,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Good Morning America Monday morning.
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Adams praised the firefighters on-scene, noting their heroism and bravery.
“Many of them, their oxygen tanks were on empty, but instead of turning back and exiting the building, they pushed through, through the smoke,” he said.
The 19 who had died were found in the stairwell on multiple floors of the building, reports ABCNY7. Investigators are investigating why the smoke was able to travel to all floors.
The fire was confined to the apartment, but the smoke spread throughout the building, officials report.
Adams said that “a maintenance issue” may have allowed the smoke from the apartment fire to spread throughout the building.
“It appears the ability to have the smoke spread is due to the door being open. We do have a law, as was mentioned, that it should close automatically. There may have been a maintenance issue with this door, and that is going to be part of the ongoing investigation,” Adams added.
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The fire began at 11 a.m. in a duplex apartment located on the third floor of a 19-floor apartment building, according to the outlet. Officials confirmed during a press conference that the fire was the result of a malfunctioning space heater.
The Washington Examiner reached out to New York City Fire Department officials for a statement but did not receive a response.
