2022 Bronx apartment fire
On the morning of January 9, 2022, a high-rise fire killed seventeen people, including eight children, at the Twin Parks North West, Site 4, high-rise apartment building in the Bronx, New York City, United States. Forty-four people were injured, and thirty-two with life-threatening injuries were sent to five different borough hospitals. Fifteen were in critical condition the day after the fire.
Twin Parks North West Twin Parks North West | |
Date | January 9, 2022 |
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Time | c. 10:55 a.m. (UTC−05:00) |
Location | 333 East 181st Street, Bronx, New York |
Coordinates | 40°51′14″N 73°53′53″W |
Type | High-rise fire |
Cause | Electrical space heater |
Deaths | 17 |
Non-fatal injuries | 44 |
It was the third-worst residential fire in the United States in four decades, and the deadliest fire in New York City since the Happy Land nightclub fire, which occurred nearby in 1990. The Bronx fire was also the second major residential fire in the Northeastern United States within a one-week period, occurring four days after a fire in Philadelphia public housing resulted in 12 deaths.
Investigators determined that the fire was caused by a defective space heater bursting into flames. Smoke spread through the building as a result of two malfunctioning self-closing doors, causing deaths throughout the building. The fire was largely confined to one apartment; all of the persons killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, while a dozen critically injured people were badly burned.