All 17 victims of New York City fire identified

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) – All 17 victims, including children, killed in the deadly apartment fire in the Tremont section of the Bronx in New York City have been identified, local media reported Thursday.

All the victims, aged 2 to 50, died from accidental smoke inhalation, an ABC7NY media report said quoting authorities.

Early Wednesday, the names of three victims were released by the New York City Police Department, which noted that the youngest victim was a 2-year-old child.

An authority in the medical examiner's office said the identities of the victims were confirmed through a forensic process.

According to initial reports, at least 63 people were also severely injured after the fire tore through a high-rise apartment building in New York on Sunday.

Following the blaze, New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Daniel Nigro said at a news conference that a malfunctioning space heater caused the fire in the 19-story building.

He said the smoke quickly spread to the upper floors because the door of the apartment was open and more than 60 people were poisoned.

According to the New York Mayor's Office, the children who died were aged 16 and under and the majority of the residents in the building were immigrant Muslims from Gambia, a country in West Africa.

A team of 200 firefighters had responded to the fire.