At least 19 people have died in the worst fire in New York history – rts.ch

“It will be one of the worst fires in our history. We know 19 people have died and many more are in critical condition and 63 have been injured,” Eric Adams told television live.

The new mayor of New York, a former African-American police officer who took office on January 1, spoke of a real tragedy “not just for the Franks and the city.”

Later, Eric Adams confirmed on Twitter that he had lost “nine young innocent lives”, nine of the 19 deaths were children and adolescents.

Fire caused by insulation heater

Investigators “determined that the fire from the bedroom and sub-heater was caused by material sources and first witnesses from residents,” the city’s fire chief said at the time. A press conference at the base of the building.

In the images circulating on social networks, huge flames and thick black smoke billowed from the window of a building in the Franks, a large neighborhood in New York.

Victims were found on each floor of the 19-story brick building, while firefighters said a fire broke out in the duplex apartment on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

About 200 firefighters were concentrated on the site in the middle. First, firefighters reported about thirty people were injured.

The big housing crisis

Last Wednesday, 12 people, including 8 children, were killed in a devastating fire in an apartment building in Philadelphia.

New York City, home to nine million people, has been hit by a major housing crisis in various neighborhoods, sometimes with dilapidated and poorly maintained buildings.

afp / aes