An investigation is underway after the FDNY said a 1-year-old boy and his 6-year-old twin siblings were found alone in a Bronx apartment where a fire broke out, killing the infant and leaving the other two children critically injured.
The flames erupted inside the apartment building on Bainbridge Avenue near East 194th Streret in the Fordham neighborhood just after 3:30 p.m. Monday, police said. An FDNY chief said firefighters arrived at the scene to find heavy fire coming from a second-floor apartment.
It was not immediately clear how the fire started. Flames rapidly spread up stairs to the top of the building.
“The fire was allowed to extend because the apartment door was left open at some point,” said FDNY Chief of Operations Malcolm Moore. “And the fire basically raced up the stairway through the top of the roof.”
The FDNY could not initially say who else was in the apartment and who may have left the door open, allowing smoke and flames to spread rapidly.
The 1-year-old boy — later identified as Liam Parks — was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other two siblings were still hospitalized in critical condition as of Tuesday evening. Two adults and three firefighters were also hurt.
Multiple neighbors said they tried to get inside the apartment where the children were in order to help tehm, but the intense flames and thick, heavy smoke proved to be too much.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Red Cross is now helping around 40 people with housing.