Brox apartment fire kills 12

Twelve people died Thursday when a fire swept through a Bronx apartment building. On Friday morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said investigators believe a child playing with a stove caused the blaze. The dead include at least four children. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro called the fire the worst in decades, due to the loss of life. The last major fire in the city, excluding the 9/11 attack, killed 87 people in 1990. Thursday’s blaze started just before 7 p.m. on the first floor of the five-story structure and spread to all other floors within minutes. Officials said the building, near the Bronx Zoo, is about 100 years old. Fire crews saved 12 people, but many of the victims never made it out of their apartments because the flames spread so quickly. Some victims are fighting for their lives in area hospitals. The building included 20 apartments, but officials have not said how many people lived there or how many might have been home at the time.