New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on the 10th local time that 17 people were killed in apartment fires in the Bronx, New York City, not 19.
Mayor Adams corrected the announcement that a total of 17 people died in the apartment fire the day before, eight of them children, and that 19 people, including nine children, were killed immediately after the fire.
The New York City Fire Department explained that some deaths were duplicated.
However, Mayor Adams cited a number of serious injuries, adding that "the number of victims is likely to rise."
Currently, 13 people are said to be in critical condition.
The fire, which was recorded as the worst fire in New York in over 30 years since the Bronx's Happy Land nightclub arson in 1990 killed 87 people, was found to have started in a bedroom on the third floor.
Fire officials estimated that a resident of this house had a defective electric stove turned on for several days and then the fire started.
In particular, as the door remained open even after the residents of the household had evacuated, smoke quickly spread throughout the building, increasing casualties, city officials pointed out.
New York City has made it mandatory for all apartment doors to have an auto-closing feature to reduce fire damage, but the feature was found to be broken on the front door of the household.
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)