A fast-moving fire swept through an apartment building in the Bronx late Monday afternoon, leaving one child dead and two others critically injured.
Heavy fire was venting from a second-floor apartment and spreading up the interior stairs to the building's bulkhead, forcing some residents to try and escape through windows and prompting fire crews to attempt a roof rescue, Moore added.
Fire crews rescued three children from the fire apartment, including a 1-year-old boy, a 6-year-old boy, and twin girls, all of whom were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The children's father, Kwesi Harris, told CBS News that his 1-year-old son, Liam, was later pronounced dead.
Valerie Ndogoula, who witnessed the incident, told the outlet that she saw first responders bring the toddler out of the building covered in soot.
"I couldn't even see his face, and they put him on the ground and tried to pump back to life," she said. "The way he was covered with all the black stuff, I knew he wasn't going to make it."
EMS Deputy Chief Staci Grguric told reporters Monday that two adults were also taken to local hospitals in non-critical condition, and three firefighters were treated with minor injuries.
Moore said the apartment building sustained extensive fire damage, with about 80 firefighters responding to the scene to put out the blaze.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but officials said open doors may have contributed to the flames spreading so quickly.
"We've had several of these fires lately where the occupants of the fire apartment have fled the building and left the apartment door open. That appears to be the case here again because the heavy amount of fire that we found in the hallway on arrival," Moore said.
"If there's one message I can deliver across the spectrum to everyone here and out there watching, it is: close the door ... The minute you close that door, you give everyone else in the building an opportunity to flee, and you give yourself more time to flee by not allowing the fire to chase behind you."