Twelve people were killed, including an infant in a fire that swept through several floors of an apartment building in the New York City borough of the Bronx, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The massive, four-alarm fire tore through a five-story Bronx apartment at Prospect Avenue near East 187 St on Thursday, Dec. 28 night, officials said.
The FDNY wrote on Twitter that more than 160 firefighters are on the scene.
(FDNY / Twitter)The fire broke out at 6:51 p.m. local time on the building’s third floor and rapidly tore through the building, the Daily News reported, citing a FDNY spokesman.
(FDNY / Twitter)
(FDNY / Twitter)De Blasio said the death toll ranked as “one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years” in the city.
Four people were in hospital in critical condition “fighting for their lives,” the mayor said.
Authorities said firefighters rescued 12 people from the building.
Temperatures in New York City reached 15 degrees Fahrenheit with additional wind chills on Thursday night.
A number of photos and videos uploaded to social media the building appeared to show that the fire under control. There were smoke or flames visible, but windows on the third floor seemed to be smashed or blackened.
In 2007, a fire in the Bronx killed nine children and one adult. The fire was caused by a space heater, according to ABC News.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known. Other details have not been revealed by officials.
Reuters contributed to this report.
