Adams: Deadly Bronx apartment fire a ‘wake-up call for all our buildings’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said the deadly apartment fire in the Bronx on Sunday was a “wake-up call for all of our buildings.”

“Do proper testing, make sure that complaints are repeated, smoke alarms going off without any real smoke or fire. We need to make sure these systems operate because they save lives, and that is something we want to focus on,” Adams said during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.”

He said the city is going to “learn from this moment,” adding that the only way to “get it right and prevent a tragedy of this proportion is to continue to make sure we rectify and correct any problems that we see.”

“This is a wakeup call for all of our buildings,” says New York City Mayor Eric Adams as he gives an update on the Bronx building fire that left at least 19 people dead. https://t.co/CrGBVRvCaL pic.twitter.com/yBsl6SZET8

— New Day (@NewDay) January 10, 2022

Nineteen people, including nine children, died on Sunday after a Bronx apartment building caught fire. Thirteen people were in critical condition on Monday, according to The New York Times.

The fire broke out after a malfunctioning electric space heater in a duplex on the second and third floors dispatched smoke throughout the building.

Adams on Monday said, “We may have the possibility of increasing the loss of life.”

Asked if he had any reason to believe the Bronx building did not conform to the fire code Adams responded no, noting that a preliminary report suggests it was “up to the current standard.”

“These buildings were built prior to many of our new fire codes that were put in place, and once we have the report from the fire marshal we will be able to make a thorough evaluation of what needs to be done and how we move forward,” Adams said.

One area the mayor said the city will inspect in the aftermath of the deadly fire is a door in the apartment building. A door was reportedly left open in the apartment which could have helped send smoke throughout the building. The building had self-closing doors.

New York City law requires that doors shut automatically. Adams said the city is looking to determine if there was a malfunction with the door.

The Bronx apartment fire occurred days after 13 people, including seven children, died following a house fire in Philadelphia.