This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42508963
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Bronx fire: Twelve dead in New York apartment block blaze | Bronx fire: Twelve dead in New York apartment block blaze |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 12 people have been killed in a fire at an apartment building in the Bronx borough of New York. | At least 12 people have been killed in a fire at an apartment building in the Bronx borough of New York. |
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the dead included a one-year-old child and that four other people had been critically injured. | New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the dead included a one-year-old child and that four other people had been critically injured. |
He said the fire was the deadliest in the city for at least 25 years. There is no word yet on the cause. | |
The building is located in Prospect Avenue, near Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo. | The building is located in Prospect Avenue, near Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo. |
More than 160 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control, the city's fire department tweeted. | |
Officials said the first alarm sounded at the building at about 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT). | Officials said the first alarm sounded at the building at about 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT). |
Speaking at the scene, Mr De Blasio said a nearby school had been set up to shelter those evacuated from the building. The city is currently experiencing bitterly cold weather. | |
"We're here at the scene of an unspeakable tragedy," Mr De Blasio said. | |
"Tonight, here in the Bronx there are families that have been torn apart. This is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century. Based on the information we have now, this will rank as one as the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years." | |
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, standing alongside the mayor, said that the victims had died on various floors of the apartment block. | |
"This tragedy is without question historic in its magnitude," he added. | |
The five-storey building contained more than 20 flats and was built just over 100 years ago, the New York Times reported. | The five-storey building contained more than 20 flats and was built just over 100 years ago, the New York Times reported. |