A horrifying apartment fire in the Bronx left 19 dead, including nine children, on Sunday, with dozens more injured.
FDNY Commissioner Dan Nigro said he anticipated "numerous fatalities" earlier in the day, after reporting injuries to at least 63 people, half of which were suffering from life-threatening injuries.
The names and ages of the victims have not been disclosed, but FDNY officials confirmed to News 4 New York at least 19 people died from injuries sustained in the blaze.
Hospital officials in the borough confirmed at least 20 of the fire victims were originally transported to St. Barnabas Hospital. Nine from that group died, including two children.
Eleven patients were still at that hospital Sunday afternoon; seven of them intubated and likely to be transferred out to other hospitals in the region, officials said.
Two more patients died at Jacobi Medical Center, but their ages weren't immediately made known. That hospital had received 19 patients, five of which were still in critical condition Sunday evening, a source familiar with the hospital said.
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The majority of the victims, Nigro said, were suffering injuries due to smoke inhalation. Firefighters moving through the 19-story building in search of residents needing help to evacuate found most of the victims in the hallways.
Investigators now say the fire likely sparked from a malfunction electric space heater in a duplex unit on the second and third floors of the building.
Mayor Eric Adams, who called the fire one of the worst in modern history, said anyone trying to track down loved ones who may have been in the apartment building can call 311.
