The Bronx Fire Victims: Passionate Students and Hardworking Parents
The New York Times
The victims, eight children and nine adults, came from a tight-knit community of West African immigrants.
The smoky blaze that took 17 lives in the Bronx a week ago Sunday tore at the heart of a tiny, tight-knit community of Gambian immigrants in New York City. The toll stood at 8 children and 9 adults, the city’s largest loss of life in a single fire in decades. Nearly all the victims were Gambian.
A magnet for Gambians since the late Abdoulie Touray settled there in the 1970s, Twin Parks North West gained the nickname Touray Tower with its skyscraping 19 stories. Generations of families grew up there, streaming in and out of each others’ apartments, sharing meals and lending a hand with child care when parents worked long hours. During Eid celebrations, children would go door-to-door, receiving small gifts of money from each neighbor.
On Sunday, life was routine: The Janneh family was on the sixth floor, getting ready to celebrate a cousin’s Islamic marriage ceremony. On the 19th floor, Mabintou Tunkara was babysitting a toddler and hosting a cousin.
