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Posted on 31/01/2022 in Electric & Electronic Building & Construction Fire Safety 2022
17 die from smoke in Bronx fire, 9th January

The fire started in a space heater, but smoke spread throughout the building. 17 people died, and over 40 were injured. The Twin Parks building housed many immigrants, especially from Gambia. Two self-closing doors are said to have failed to function. The fire itself was largely contained in the duplex apartment where it started, but smoke spread throughout the 19 storey building an all the fatalities were caused by smoke inhalation, in particular in the stairwells . A number of the injured were badly burned. The fire alarm system functioned, but was apparently initially ignored by some residents because of frequent false alarms, and fire services arrived within 3 minutes of the fire starting. Following this fire, and the fire in Fairmont, Philadelphia, 5th January 2022, which killed 12 people (probably starting in a Christmas tree), a number of fire safety and firefighter organisations are calling for national fire safety legislation in the USA, in particular for older and high-rise residential buildings.

“Inside a Deadly Bronx Fire: Scenes of Chaos, Desperation and Love”, New York Times, 16th January 2022 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/nyregion/bronx-fire-what-happened.html

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