19 Killed in Fire of 19-Story Building in New York City

jpnn.com, NEW YORK CITY - A total of 19 people died and dozens of others were injured when a fire engulfed a 19-story building in the Bronx area, New York City, United States, on Sunday (9/1).

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has only been in office for just over a week, confirmed the incident that occurred around 11 a.m. local time in the majestic brown-brick building that provides affordable housing units.

Earlier on Sunday, officials said 32 people had been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and a total of around 60 people were injured.

"It's a tragedy beyond measure," Adams wrote on Twitter. "Join me in praying for those we lost, especially the 9 innocent young lives that were cut short."

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but it is likely to raise questions about safety standards in the city's low-income housing estate.

It was the second deadly fire at a residential complex in the US this week after twelve people, including eight children, died on Wednesday morning when a fire engulfed a public housing apartment building in Philadelphia.

US Representative Ritchie Torres told MSNBC that decades of disinvestment in affordable housing developments such as this one posed safety risks to residents and left such buildings wide open to catastrophic fires that could cost lives.