Safety Doors Failed in NYC High-Rise Fire That Killed 17

Safety Doors Failed in NYC High-Rise Fire That Killed 17
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx, New York, on Jan. 9, 2022. Jeenah Moon/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

NEW YORK—Investigators sought answers Monday for why safety doors failed to close when fire broke out in a New York high-rise, allowing thick smoke to rise through the tower and kill 17 people, including eight children, in the city’s deadliest blaze in more than three decades.

A malfunctioning electric space heater apparently started the fire Sunday in the 19-story building in the Bronx, fire officials said. The flames damaged only a small part of the building, but smoke poured through the apartment’s open door and turned stairwells into dark, ash-choked death traps. The stairs were the only method of escape in a tower too tall for fire escapes.