Bronx Apartment Fire: Dad Loses Entire Family, Including Son Who Just Had a Birthday

Bronx Apartment Fire Ishak Drammeh University of Buffalo Gambia west africa New York City Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro malfunctioning heater fire alarm Mayor Eric Adams Cristal Diaz Dilenny Rodriguez

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Jan 13, 05:41 am

Photo: (Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A father has lost his entire family to the Bronx apartment fire on Sunday, January 9, 2022. Among the 17 victims who died in the tragedy were eight children.

Ishak Drammeh felt numb as he spoke to The New York Post after discovering that his wife, two daughters, and son, who just celebrated his 13th birthday the day before, perished. Drammeh was working in Ohio when the incident happened. He said he has yet to confirm their identities in person because the investigators have only given him pictures.

The dad of six is still in a state of shock and has not eaten since the tragedy. He is devastated that he will never see his wife and kids again. His girls were working on finishing their degrees at the University of Buffalo while his son was faring well in middle school.

Drammeh is from Gambia, West Africa, but all of his kids were born in the U.S. According to reports, many of the victims were from the same African continent.

Malfunctioning Heater Caused the Fire

New York City Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro confirmed that a malfunctioning heater caused the Bronx apartment fire. The fire spread fast in the second-floor unit because its residents left the door open when they fled their homes.

The fire marshals have kept the physical evidence of where the fire started. The heater was used to supplement what the building provided. However, investigators determined that the rest of the residents were not able to get out because the fire alarm was likely busted on some floors. The Bronx apartment has 19 storeys and 120 units. The Drammeh family was living on the 15th floor of the high rise.

According to Nigro, his firefighters ran out of oxygen while trying to rescue other people trapped inside the building. The levels of smoke were extremely deadly; thus, the fire chief believes this prevented the other residents from escaping. He said that those in the hospital might still be struggling with life-threatening conditions.

Nigro said the last time the Bronx had a fire "this horrific" was more than 30 years ago, referring to the fire that broke at Happy Land, a social club, where 87 people died.

Mayor Eric Adams was also on the scene and said that he's not aware of any "outstanding" complaints about the building's heating system. The building is owned by Camber Property Group, which issued a statement stating that they will fully cooperate with the investigations.

It Happened Quickly

Cristal Diaz, a resident of the Bronx apartment fire, said that terror and chaos followed after they realized what was happening. Everything happened so quickly. Mom Dilenny Rodriguez and her two daughters escaped mostly unharmed, but they will never forget passing by a body as they made their way out of the building.

"We are going to do everything we can to bring services on the ground here," the mayor said, adding that assistance will be given to the survivors as they recover from the trauma. Red Cross is also standing by to help the victims in terms of housing or accommodation.