Victims of Bronx fire part of ‘close-knit community’
NEW YORK (AP) — The victims of a deadly apartment building fire in the Bronx included three young children who were part of a family that tried to make it down to safety but perished in the smoke. Fire officials say a malfunctioning electric space heater apparently started the fire Sunday that killed 17 people. The flames damaged only a small part of the 19-story building in the Bronx, but smoke poured through the apartment’s open door and into stairwells, blocking residents from escaping. A relative says that among the dead were three children of Haja Dukuray and Haji Dukuray from Gambia. The relative said he did not know if the children’s parents survived.
