Eight Children From Mali Die In New York City Fire

Nine immigrants from Mali, including eight children, died in a house fire after flames raced up the stairs, trapping people on the second floor, officials said on Thursday.

Twenty-two people from the West African nation lived in a wooden house that had been split into two apartments in the Bronx section of New York. The children ranged from infants to 10-year-olds.

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The fire started around 11 p.m. and may have been caused by a space heater or an overloaded power strip, the mayor said. Fire fighters arrived on the scene within three minutes of receiving the call and extinguished the fire by 1 a.m.

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