A week after the Philadelphia fire in which 12 people lost their lives, another fire tragedy kills 19 in New York. The fire broke out in the apartment of a 19-story building in the Bronx. Among the victims there are 9 children and at least 63 injured, of which 32 hospitalized with burns of varying degrees and symptoms of smoke asphyxiation. At least 200 rescuers were on site for what the chief of the fire brigade of the Big Apple, Daniel Nigro, defined as "one of the worst fires in the recent history of the city".
Still early to trace the causes that caused the tragedy. From the first reconstructions, the authorities explain, the flames would have started around 11 am local time from a two-story apartment between the second and third. In the building there are many families full, as is normal for Sundays.
In the excitement of the escape, the doors of the house in which the flames developed would have been left open, so that the fire quickly spread to the rest of the building. On every floor of the building - say the rescuers - victims were found everywhere, on the landings, on the corridors, on the stairs. All residents who were desperately trying to escape. Many have died of cardiac arrest due to heavy smoke and lack of oxygen. Many people were saved thanks to the fire truck ladders.
"A horrifying and shocking scene", the witnesses say.
The new mayor of New York Eric Adams also went to the place, in what is the first tragedy in his city since he took over.
In the Bronx neighborhood, the nightmare of the terrible fire that broke out in 1990 at Happy LAnd still reigns, a nightclub in which 87 people lost their lives.
At the time it was found that the place was operating illegally and that there was not even a fire-fighting tank inside.
Now investigators will have to investigate whether something has gone wrong with the security and alarm systems in the Twin Park apartment complex.
