New York apartment building fire kills 12
NEW YORK, December 29, 2017
At least 12 people have been killed and four critically injured in a fire at an apartment building in the Bronx borough of New York, said a BBC report.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the fire was the deadliest in the city for at least 25 years. The victims include a one-year-old child, he added.
The cause of the fire, on Prospect Avenue, near Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo, is not yet clear.
More than 160 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control.
Officials said the first alarm sounded at the five-storey building at about 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
Speaking at the scene, De Blasio said a nearby school had been set up to shelter those evacuated from the building. The city is currently experiencing bitterly cold weather.
He said the fire service had managed to rescue at least 12 people from the building.
