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It was a tragic scene – heavy smoke filled stairwells in the building as people tried to escape. Among those 17 people, eight children lost their lives. As Currents News reported earlier, open doors allowed the Bronx fire to spread so rapidly. What are some tips that can be done if a fire or smoke is seen inside your apartment to make sure you’re safe?
James Bullock, Retired FDNY Deputy Chief and President of the New York Fire Consultants and New York Fire Safety Institute, joined Currents News to talk about preventative measures people can take to stop fires from spreading.
The city has set up a donation page for anyone who wishes to help the victims of that deadly Bronx fire. Just go to www1.nyc.gov for more information.
Guillermo, Maxwell and Marta Sanchez lost everything, but today they’re counting their blessings.
“It could have been any one of us, by the grace of God we managed to get out,” said Maxwell Sanchez who was on the sixteenth floor of his 181st Street apartment building with his father, Guillermo.
When the flames broke out, Marta thought her husband and son were dead. She was at her parish, St. Simon Stock when she got a call from a neighbor that brought her to her knees.
“I said my family died, I just prayed, I believe in God and I said God you know how much I believe in you, take care of my family,” she said.
The family wasn’t reunited until after Guillermo and Maxwell waited for hours for firefighters to help them navigate the thick black smoke. The Sanchezes are one family of hundreds who are being assisted by local organizations and Catholic Charities of New York.
“It’s so important extending our humanity despite the challenges we have to first know the people, we have to learn about them and just touch them first and we’ll serve whatever role necessary in each person’s case,” said Father Eric Cruz, Bronx Coordinator for Catholic Charities of New York.
Local parishes and food pantries are getting together donations and Catholic Charities is assisting with everything from burials, to housing and immigration services but Father Cruz says the first step is letting them know help is on the way.
“We can’t just dive in, it’s a process, we have to make that initial contact, let them know that we’re there for them, we’re going to be there for them in prayer and in life they will not travel and walk alone,” he said.
Despite their loss, the Sanchez family says they’re the lucky ones.
“The screams from the neighbors from different floors it keeps replaying in my head. It definitely strengthened all of our faith in God and we just have so much to be thankful for,” said Maxwell.
The Sanchezes haven’t heard if they’ll be able to return to their home or if there’s a home left, but for now they’re continuing to thank God.
An emotional prayer vigil took place outside the apartment building in the Bronx where 17 people died in a fire. It was a tragic scene – heavy smoke filled stairwells in the building as people tried to escape. Among those 17 people who died, eight children lost their lives.
Pope Francis is praying for the victims and sent his condolences to the Archdiocese of New York, while people in the Diocese of Brooklyn, including Bishop Robert Brennan, are also sending their prayers. The bishop spoke about the fire during Mass on Monday morning, Jan. 10, at St. James Basilica.
“We did at Mass what we do best, we prayed,” Bishop Brennan said. “I prayed for those who have died. We grieve with those who grieve, we mourn with those who mourn. We prayed for those who are injured, asking God to help bring healing and to help the families and the caregivers.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan says it doesn’t get worse than that. He went to the Bronx on Monday, tweeted pictures and thanked God for the fire department.
“I’m visiting the scene with the fire companies that responded so that I might see how the Church can assist,” the cardinal tweeted. “Thank God for the @FDNY.”
The cardinal received a letter from the Vatican which said Pope Francis was saddened to hear of the fire. It read in part:
“In offering heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy, he entrusts the victims and their families to the merciful love of almighty God and invokes upon all consolation and strength in the Lord.”
New York’s Mayor Eric Adams said several people are in critical condition.
“We pray to God they’re able to pull through,” the mayor said.
More than 60 people were hurt, mostly because of smoke inhalation and an investigation is underway. It seems the fire was sparked by a malfunctioning electric space heater and the smoke spread quickly through the building because doors were left open. Mayor Adams says there’s a city law that requires doors to close automatically.
“We are looking to determine if there was some form of malfunction with the doors,” the mayor said.
Residents reported that smoke alarms would go off frequently in the building, so many ignored the sound when they heard it.
“The alarm was going off for a while so I didn’t pay it no mind,” survivor Daisy Mitchell said. “When I opened the door and went out there, I passed out. It was devastating. It was, like, real scary and I went to the elevator. They said, ‘no, don’t take the elevator.’ I went to the stairs to open the door, and it blew me back in the house. I panicked. I said let me in the house. I can’t see. I’m blind.”
The mayor said it’s a wakeup call for the city’s buildings.
“Do proper testing, make sure complaints of repeated smoke alarms going off without any real smoke or fire. We need to make sure these systems operate because they save lives.”
Job seekers in the U.S. have more than ten million open positions to look into right now.
Much of that number is because of record numbers of people quitting, but not all industries are being impacted equally.
A record 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November, mainly from low wage positions. For months now, workers have been resigning en masse.
Bar back Ifeoma Dzimako, who quit her job this summer, says it’s a labor market revolution.
“I’ve done it since I was 15. I love the customer service industry. I love putting a smile on people’s faces. But it got to a point where I felt like I was giving a little bit too much of myself,” said Dzimako.
As a bar back in Washington D.C., she was guaranteed a $5.05 tipped minimum wage. But with fewer customers coming in, that meant fewer tips – with more responsibility.
“Every day I had to enforce certain things where I’m like, this is not in my job description. And now I’m being paid less,” she said.
More than one million people quit their leisure and hospitality jobs in November.
With hundreds of thousands more quitting low wage retail and health care jobs. There are still 10.6 million unfilled positions.
“People feel empowered and they should, because the job market is really, really tight and they have opportunity. If they’re not happy with what they’re doing, they’re going to take another one. So, I think quit rates are gonna remain high for a long time to come,” said economist Mark Zandi.
And as Omicron sweeps the country, this silence is what many restaurant owners are facing.
Michael Dorf, CEO of City Winery says he’s doing everything to keep the staff he has left, even with less business.
“I don’t wanna afford to lose a single person and we’re still hiring as ironic as that is,” said Dorf.
He normally operates with 1200 employees across his 12 restaurant and music venues.
“We’re only up to about 950 around the country. We’ve seen people quit on the spot,” he said.
He says he’s risen wages to above $15 an hour, and into the 20s for kitchen staff.
And that’s what Dzimako is looking for.
Until then, she’s moved back in with her parents and is back in school getting her sociology degree – while doing gig work part-time.
“If they were to offer us a one fair wage $15 plus tips on top – I’d go back. I love illuminating somebody’s day, but at the same time I have a little bit more self-worth now,” she said.
The Labor Department reports 200-thousand new jobs were added to the economy in December.
That’s only half of what economists had predicted.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Pope Francis reached out Monday to Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York saying that he felt a “spiritual closeness” to the victims of the deadly Bronx fire that killed 17 people on Sunday.
In his telegram, Pope Francis said he “entrusts the victims and their families to the merciful love of Almighty God and invokes upon all consolation and strength in the Lord.”
Early Monday, Cardinal Dolan visited the scene of the fire to get a first-hand look at the devastation.
“It doesn’t get worse than what we witnessed in New York yesterday at that tragic fire in the Bronx,” Cardinal Dolan tweeted after the visit.
The fire, which tore through a 19-story apartment building at 333 East 181st St., killed 17 people — including eight children — and sent dozens to the hospital. Many of the hospitalized victims were reported to be in critical condition Monday.
It was the deadliest fire in New York City since the Happy Land Social Club fire in the Bronx killed 87 people on March 25, 1990.
It doesn't get worse than what we witnessed in New York yesterday at that tragic fire in the Bronx. I’m visiting the scene with the fire companies that responded so that I might see how the Church can assist. Thank God for the @FDNY. pic.twitter.com/GnUMo2gQLZ
Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, who was born in the Bronx, offered his condolences in a statement Monday.
“I am filled with much sadness and heartache in the wake of yesterday’s tragic fire in the Bronx. I remember in my prayers the 17 lives lost and ask God to heal those who have been injured,” Bishop Brennan said.
Many of the residents living in the building are immigrants from Gambia, according to Father Michael Kissane, pastor of St. Simon Stock-St. Joseph Church, which is located down the street from the fire scene.
One family from the parish that lived in the building lost everything in the fire, Father Kissane said.
“We have identified one family that was living in the building — a husband and wife and I believe two sons. Their apartment was destroyed … They’re staying with one of their other sons in New Jersey,” he said, adding that the family was not injured in the fire.
Father Kissane said that the church will be hosting a special Mass on Monday at 7 p.m. to pray for the victims.
Fire officials said the blaze was started by a malfunctioning space heater in a third-floor apartment.
The door to that apartment did not close as the tenants fled the apartment, according to officials, who said the fire quickly spread throughout the building as a result.
A New York City law requires that apartment buildings contain doors that automatically close. Mayor Eric Adams said 333 East 181st St. was equipped with self-closing doors and added that officials will be investigating to determine why the door to the apartment where the fire erupted didn’t close.
“There may have been a maintenance issue with this door and that is going to be a part of the ongoing investigation,” the mayor said Monday in an interview on “Good Morning America.”
While the fire itself was mostly contained to the third-floor apartment where it started, the smoke that spread throughout the building is what caused the loss of life and most of the injuries, officials said.
Attention has now turned toward helping the victims. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, the American Red Cross, and the Fire Department have all offered assistance.
The Gambia Youth Organization set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations. As of Monday, the effort raised $364,879, much more than the original goal of $200,000. More than 7,000 donations were collected.
The city is also setting up donations through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
Items being accepted for donation include bottled water, blankets, pillows, clothing, coats, hats, scarves, winter shoes, towels, personal hygiene items, masks, and hand sanitizer. Drop-off sites in the Bronx include:
** Riverdale Jewish Center, 3700 Independence Ave.
** Anthony Avenue Community Garden, 2078 Anthony Ave
** Community Board 10, 3165 E. Tremont Avenue
** The Bronx Woodlawn Collective, 341 East 235th Street
The Vatican is iconic for being the center of the Catholic Church and home of the pope. Yet for nearly a thousand years, popes used to live here, at the Lateran Apostolic Palace attached to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome.
Reconstructed under Pope Sixtus V in the 16th century, today it houses the offices of the diocese of Rome, and its interior has only just been opened to the public through guided tours organized by the Missionaries of Divine Revelation.
“It was the wish of Pope Francis, who last February wrote a letter to the Cardinal Vicar to ask that the Lateran Apostolic Palace be opened to the public, especially so that new generations could learn the history that has taken place in these spaces, that has manifested itself here. The history of the Church but also the history of the city of Rome,” said Sr. Agnese Scavetta, Missionary of Divine Revelation.
Visitors can now see exclusive spaces of the popes’ residence, such as where heads of state would have been received, marked by impressive frescoes and priceless tapestries.
Or the throne room, known as the room of the seasons, since the frescoed ceiling depicts each of the four seasons—representing the Church’s everlasting nature through time. It also displays a papal throne constructed for Pope Pius IX.
The Palace’s most significant room is the Hall of Pontiffs, where the Lateran Treaty was signed between Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini, establishing the Holy See as a sovereign country.
“(It was) a dramatic moment in which the Church lost its temporal power. The signing of the Lateran Pacts puts an end to the Roman Question, in which the pope is considered a prisoner of the kingdom of Italy, and therefore the independence and full sovereignty of the Church is recognized with these Lateran Pacts,” said Sr. Scavetta.
The papal apartments contrast with the palace’s other rooms in their plain and sober style.
The pope’s study features gifts received by popes throughout the ages, including the bust which John F. Kennedy Jr. gave to Pope Paul VI in their meeting at the Vatican.
Finally, there is the pope’s private chapel, characterized by its modest nature to remind the pope of being a poor priest dependent on God.
“To go through these rooms, these halls, is to remember the significance of the pope insofar as he is the pastor of the universal Church, but also the pope as vicar of Christ, as the successor of Peter, and therefore as the bishop of Rome,” said Sr. Agnese.
The visit ends in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which holds the seat of the bishop of Rome, and where the pope presides over ceremonies pertaining to his diocese, such as when ordaining new priests.
Now pilgrims and Romans alike can get a special glimpse behind the first church built after the legalization of Catholicism in the Roman empire, and the former residence of the popes.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Before baptizing 16 babies in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Francis reminded parents and godparents of their responsibility to care for and preserve the Christian identity the infants were about to receive.
“This is your task throughout your lives: to guard the Christian identity of your children,” the pontiff said. “It is a daily commitment: help them grow with the light they receive today.”
The pontiff baptized the seven boys and nine girls — the children of Vatican employees — in the Sistine Chapel during the celebration of Mass Jan. 9, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
The annual tradition of baptizing infants on the feast day, which began in 1981 by St. John Paul II, was canceled last year due to the pandemic.
Although the baptisms resumed this year, the number of infants was significantly reduced. In January 2020, the pontiff had baptized 32 infants in the Sistine Chapel.
Delivering a brief, off-the-cuff homily, Pope Francis recalled a hymn for the feast day that said the people of Israel went to the Jordan River to be baptized “with bare feet and bare souls.”
“These children today also come here with ‘bare souls’ to receive God’s justification, Jesus’ strength, the strength to move forward in life,” he said. “Your children will receive their Christian identity today. And you, parents and godparents, must guard this identity.”
Pope Francis baptizes a baby as he celebrates Mass marking the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 9, 2022. The pope baptized 16 infants.
With the sounds of fussy children filling the frescoed chapel, the Holy Father repeated his usual advice to mothers of infants, encouraging them to make their children comfortable, and to not worry if they start to cry in the chapel.
“This ceremony is a bit long, the children then feel uncomfortable here in an environment they do not know. Please, they are the protagonists: make sure that they are not too hot, that they feel comfortable,” Pope Francis said.
“If they are hungry, breast feed them here, in front of the Lord, no problem,” he added. “And if they cry out, let them cry out, because they have a community spirit, let’s say a ‘band spirit,’ a spirit of ensemble, and all it takes is for one to start — because everyone is musical — and immediately the orchestra comes! Let them cry, let them feel free.”
Ed Wilkinson visits Our Lady of Hope Parish in Middle Village. There he speaks with Father Peter Purpura, members of the Parish Council, and Communications Committee, who highlight the importance of lay people’s involvement in a parish to make it truly great.
Mayor Eric Adams has unveiled a plan to help city hospitals battle the COVID crisis.
In order to handle the surge, he is directing more than $100 million dollars into city-run hospitals to hire more staff. At least $27 million dollars in loans will be offered to non-profit hospitals that serve primarily low-income patients.
As of Monday, Jan.3, there were 5,500 people in city hospitals with COVID-19 – that’s the most since the spring of 2020.
Diocesan schools will hand out further information
Schools throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn have all received a supply of at-home COVID testing kits from New York City, according to the diocese’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Thomas Chadzutko.
The diocese is also waiting for an order of test kits from New York State. Dr. Chadzutko says the diocesan schools will begin distributing the tests once they receive more information from the Department of Health.
The Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes Queens, has over 20,000 students enrolled in their 70 Catholic schools and academies.
