Safety doors failed in New York City high-rise fire that killed 17 including 8 kids

Safety doors failed to close when fire broke out in a New York City Apartment allowing thick smoke to rise through the tower. At least 17 people including eight children were killed in the apartment fire.

Investigators on Monday sought answers for why safety doors failed to close when fire broke out in a New York high-rise, allowing thick smoke to rise through the tower and kill 17 people, including eight children, in the city’s deadliest blaze in more than three decades.

A malfunctioning electric space heater apparently started the fire Sunday in the 19-story building in the Bronx, fire officials said. The flames damaged only a small part of the building, but smoke poured through the apartment’s open door and turned stairwells into dark, ash-choked death traps. The stairs were the only method of escape in a tower too tall for fire escapes.