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 3 Version 4
Bronx fire: Twelve dead in New York apartment block blaze Bronx fire: Twelve die 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 and four others critically injured 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 fire was the deadliest in the city for at least 25 years. The victims include a one-year-old child, he added.
He said the fire was the deadliest in the city for at least 25 years. There is no word yet on the cause. The cause of the fire, on Prospect Avenue, near Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo, is not yet clear.
The building is located in Prospect Avenue, near Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo. More than 160 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control.
More than 160 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control, the city's fire department tweeted. Officials said the first alarm sounded at the five-storey 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.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."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.""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. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, standing alongside the mayor, described the fire as a "tragedy... without question historic in its magnitude".
"This tragedy is without question historic in its magnitude," he added. "People died on various floors of the apartment [block], ranging in age from one to over 50," he told reporters.
The five-storey building contained more than 20 flats and was built just over 100 years ago, the New York Times reported. "In a department that is surely no stranger to tragedy, we're shocked by the lives lost."
Witness Rafael Gonzalez, who lives in a building across the street, told WCBS-TV he was woken by the smell of smoke and then saw some people using a fire escape of the burning building as the fire raged.
The building contains more than 20 flats and was built just over 100 years ago, the New York Times reported.