Cause of Deadly NYC Fire Determined

There aren't really two sides to this story, other than to provide the facts and offer hope that this type of thing does not happen in the future.   The CNN post below gives the tragic details on the cause a result of a 3 year old playing with burners on the stove.    This is the worst fire tragedy in NYC in the last 25 years.    The fire spread very quickly in this mostly brick building when the door to the apartment was left open and the building stairway acted as a chimney.    The NBC post gives suggestions on what can be done to help kids from starting fires.  Timely information as NYC gets 100 reports each year of children playing with fire.

Fatal NYC fire started by 3-year-old playing with stove, official says By Matt Rehbein and Eric Levenson, CNN New York (CNN)A 3-year-old boy's screams alerted his mother that a fire had erupted in their first-floor apartment in the Bronx on Thursday night. The boy had been playing with the burners on the kitchen stove, New York fire officials said Friday. When the mother fled the burning apartment with the boy and his 2-year-old sibling, she made a fatal mistake -- she left the apartment door open. The tragic result was the deaths of at least 12 people, including at least four children, the New York Police Department said. It was the deadliest fire in New York City in more than 25 years. The apartment's stairway acted "like a chimney" as the fire burst from the apartment, feeding the flames and allowing them to spread throughout the building, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Friday. The boy in the first-floor apartment had a history of playing with the stove burners, Nigro said. The fire commissioner reminded all New Yorkers of his department's frequent messages emphasizing the crucial step residents must take in the event of a fire. <more>

NYC Fire Dept. Tips for Keeping Kids From Starting Fires NBC Chicago A fire that killed at least a dozen people in the Bronx this week was sparked by a child playing with a stove, authorities say. Kitchen fires make up 50 percent of all apartment fires and they’re the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, according to the FDNY. Children cause thousands of home fires each year by playing with matches, lighters or candles, the FDNY says. Kids have a natural curiosity about fire and what to know how it looks and feels, what it can do, and how it will burn. Quick facts about home fires: • More than half of all home fire deaths occur between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. • More than a third of home fires occur during the months of December, January and February. • Children are a major cause of fire, often because they are playing with lighters, matches or candles. Fires caused by kids most often start in bedrooms. • The FDNY’s top three safety tips: Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; Have a home fire escape plan, and practice it; Conduct a safety inspection of potential fire hazards in your home and eliminate them. <more>