It’s only the start of the new year and we already have tragedies hitting us. On January 9, 2022, a 19-story Twin Parks North West building caught on fire causing many casualties, New York City’s deadliest since 1990. There were roughly around 17 victims, eight of those being children. A few weeks later the number of casualties went up to 19 individuals. Some of those who were hospitalized were released from the hospital a few weeks after. 25 people have been treated and released as well. 

It was stated that the fire had sent 32 people with life-threatening conditions to the hospital. Adding all those numbers up the total number of victims is 63. The fire has been deemed one of the second most deadly fires to occur in history. The cause of the fire has been deemed a malfunctioning space heater. It is said that the apartment door where the fire started had been left open which is why the fire spread faster and why there were so many people affected by it. Many of the victims say that they heard the fire alarms, but didn’t think much of it. They opened the door to the apartment to find people passed out. Firefighters say that they found people going into cardiac arrest as they were going down the stairs. Firefighters risked their lives further because they had run out of air from the gas tanks.

 Citizens couldn’t escape their homes due to the volume of the flames, so they had to break windows and use ladders to escape. The governor of New York put out a statement saying that her heart goes out to the victims and the victims’ families going through a hard time. Some residents are living at a nearby middle school where food and water are provided for them. The Red Cross has offered hotel rooms to a lot of people that no longer have a home due to the fires. The governor is also giving the victims a compensation fund for housing and other necessities they might have. Living in most of those apartments were immigrants from a small nation in Africa called the Gambia, and Muslims. The mayor said that she will make sure all funerals and burial sites are respected. They have also sought out Muslim leaders to connect with the residents of the apartment complex.