Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson hosted a wreath-laying ceremony at Bronx Borough Hall to honor the 17 victims who died in a fire at Twin Parks North West on the fourth anniversary of the incident, on Friday, Jan. 9.
The Jan. 9, 2022, fire is one of, if not the deadliest, fires to occur in New York City over the last 30 years.
Several community members joined Gibson in honoring the 17 lives lost.
Among those on hand to pay their respects were New York State Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, New York City Council Members Oswald Feliz and Pierina Sanchez, Mayor’s Office of International Affairs Commissioner Aissata Camera, Uniformed Firefighters Association FDNY President Andrew Ansbro, Bronx Community Board 5 Chair Osiris Guzman, Tenant Association President Phyllis Harris and Haji Dukuray, who lost multiple family members to the fire.
“It has been four years since the tragic fire at Twin Parks North West, and our borough continues to mourn the loss of 17 of our neighbors,” Gibson said.
“We will never forget the families whose lives were forever changed by this tragedy, the bravery, courage and heroism of our first responders or the overwhelming support shown by our city agencies, community organizations, colleagues in government, hip-hop artists and community members who came together for our neighbors in their time of need. Jan. 9 will always be a day of mourning and remembrance for our borough and a solemn reminder of our responsibility to honor those we have lost by ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again.”
The fire was determined to have been caused by a defective space heater that malfunctioned and burst into flames. In addition to killing 17 people, including eight children, the fire also left over 100 people without homes in its aftermath.
