- Several survivors were in critical condition and authorities warned the death toll could rise.
- A malfunctioning space heater apparently sparked the 5-alarm fire.
- The building is equipped with smoke alarms, but several residents said ignored the warning because the alarms go off so often.
NEW YORK — Dozens of people remained hospitalized Monday after the nation's most deadly apartment fire in almost 40 years swept through a building in the Bronx, killing 19 people, including nine children.
Several survivors were in critical condition and authorities warned the death toll could rise.
A malfunctioning space heater apparently sparked the 5-alarm fire Saturday in the 19-story building, and firefighters found victims on every floor, many in cardiac and respiratory arrest, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
Mayor Eric Adams, who described the blaze as one of the "worst fires in modern times," ordered flags to remain at half staff until sunset Wednesday in remembrance of the victims.
"This is a horrific day for all New Yorkers if not throughout the entire country," Adams said Monday on "Good Morning America."
"We just want right now to give the families the support they deserve."
US RESIDENTIAL FIRES HAVE DECLINED: Bronx blaze is a reminder how dangerous they can be.
Space heater sparked 5-alarm fire
Nigro said the fire “started in a malfunctioning electric space heater” in a bedroom of a duplex apartment on the second and third floors of the 19-story Twin Parks North West complex in the West Bronx.
The door of the apartment was left open, allowing smoke to quickly spread throughout the building, Nigro said. Trapped residents broke windows for air and stuffed wet towels under doors to stave off the smoke as it rose through the building
Smoke, not flames, responsible for most injuries
Nigro said 63 people were injured by "severe smoke inhalation" and that 32 were admitted to five area hospitals. The flames were confined to two floors, but smoke escaped through the apartment’s open door and darkened stairwells with a thick, unbreathable fog. The city requires doors to self-close, and Adams said in an interview on CNN that the Twin Parks building had such doors. Investigators are trying to determine why that door did not close, he said.
The death toll could rise, he said.
"We have several people in critical condition right now," Adams said Monday on CNN. "We pray to God they are able to pull through."
Twin Parks has smoke alarms but no sprinklers
The building is equipped with smoke alarms, but several residents said they ignored the warning because the alarms go off so often in the 120-unit building.
Large, new apartment buildings in the city are required to have sprinkler systems and interior doors that swing shut automatically to contain smoke and deprive fires of oxygen, but those rules don’t apply to thousands of the city’s older buildings.
The Twin Parks complex was built in 1973 as part of a project to build modern, affordable housing in the Bronx.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Malfunctioning space heater sparked Bronx fire, city's deadliest blaze in decades
Deadliest fire since 1990's Happy Land social club blaze
The fire was city’s deadliest since 1990, when 87 people died in an arson at the Happy Land social club, also in the Bronx. That fire, however, was ruled an arson and the man convicted of igniting it, Julio González, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Earlier that day González had a fierce argument with his girlfriend, who worked at the club. Authorities said González, who died in prison, also blocked the club's only exit.
Bronx fire killed 13 in 2017
The borough was also home to a deadly apartment building fire in 2017 that killed 13 people and a 2007 fire, also started by a space heater, that killed nine. New York City Council later passed ordinances requiring self-closing doors and child-safety knobs in apartments.
Heroism in face of tragedy
Firefighters continued making rescues even after their air supplies ran out, Adams said.
“Their oxygen tanks were empty and they still pushed through the smoke,” Adams said.
Building's owners 'devastated,' promise to cooperate with probe
The building's owner, Bronx Park Phase III Preservation LLC, issued a statement saying the firm was cooperating fully with the investigation.
"We are devastated by the unimaginable loss of life caused by this profound tragedy," the statement read. "We are cooperating fully with the Fire Department and other city agencies as they investigate its cause, and we are doing all we can to assist our residents. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives or were injured, and we are here to support them as we recover from this horrific fire."
Bacon reported from Arlington, Va. Contributing: Jordan Mendoza and Cady Stanton, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
