19 dead, including 9 kids, in apartment fire

NEW YORK » Nineteen people, including 9 children, have been killed in an apartment fire in New York City, in what the city’s fire commissioner called one of the worst blazes in recent memory.

Stefan Ringel, a senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams, confirmed the death toll Sunday to The Associated Press, while a city official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the number of children dead.

More than five dozen people were injured and 13 people were still in critical condition in the hospital, Ringel said.

The majority of victims were suffering from severe smoke inhalation, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said at a press conference earlier that afternoon.