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The fire broke out in the night from Saturday to Sunday (local time) in a 19-storey building. The images in American news media are horrifying. Among other things, a baby had to be rescued from the blaze that probably started in a lower part of the flat, the New York Post reports.
According to some local media, at least one person who was fleeing the blaze jumped out of a window. The victims were taken to at least five different hospitals in the area.
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The vast majority of fire victims have inhaled smoke, fire chief Dan Nigro said. Firefighters who stormed into the building discovered casualties on nearly every floor of the building. Many of them had suffered cardiac arrest or serious breathing problems.
More than 40 people have already been rescued from the burning building, said the fire service, who are still trying to get people out of the building. The building consists of apartments converted into two-storey residences and has areas that are difficult for firefighters to access. The apartment door had been left open, allowing the fire to spread and smoke billowing throughout the building, the fire service said.
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Chaos in The Bronx after a fatal apartment fire.
Ⓒ AFP
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The new mayor Eric Adams has come to take a look on the spot. He says it is “one of the worst fires” ever in New York. It is still unclear how the fire started. The fire has now been extinguished.
On Wednesday, a large fire in a terraced house in downtown Philadelphia killed at least 12 people, including eight children.
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