19 individuals were killed in an apartment fire in New York City, including nine children, in what the city's fire commissioner termed one of the deadliest blazes in recent memory.
The death toll was verified by a fire official who was not permitted to talk publicly, while the number of children killed was confirmed by a city official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Approximately 200 firemen raced to the incident Sunday at the Twin Park apartments, a 19-story building on East 181st Street, according to the FDNY. A rescue ladder was extended up to an eighth-floor window, according to photos posted online.
According to FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, 32 individuals were brought to five hospitals, with the bulk of the casualties suffering from serious smoke inhalation.
"Victims were located on every floor and were being taken out in cardiac and respiratory arrest," he claimed. "That is unheard of in our city." We anticipate a high number of deaths."
Nigro compared the intensity of the incident to the Happy Land social club fire in 1990, which killed 87 people when a man set fire to the building following a fight with his ex-girlfriend and was booted out of the club.
The fire started in a duplex unit on the second and third floors on Sunday. Firefighters discovered the apartment door open, which evidently allowed the fire to progress and spread smoke upward swiftly.
The fire is not thought to be suspicious in nature, but the cause is being investigated.
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