Cardi B Set to Pay Funeral Costs for Fire Victims in Her Hometown of the Bronx
Grammy-winning musician Cardi B has offered to pay the funeral costs for the 17 people who died in the January 9 Bronx apartment fire. The Bronx is the musician's hometown.
"I'm extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still. So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help," Cardi B said in a statement.
"I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the families of the victims are experiencing, but I hope that not having to worry about the costs associated with burying their loved ones will help as they move forward and heal," her statement continued. "I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy."
The musician will aid the families by contributing to the Bronx Fire Relief Fund. The fund, which provides money to different efforts meant to uplift borough citizens of all backgrounds, has already received $2 million from the New York state government following the fire.
Additionally, Cardi B will pay repatriation costs for fire victims whose remains will be shipped to their native country of The Gambia.
Newly seated New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed gratitude for Cardi B. Adams called her "a real superstar on and off the mic," for giving "critical financial relief" to the victims' families.
"The city will be forever thankful to her and also to the grassroots donors and corporate partners who have been able to offer immediate support for our neighbors in need, to reestablish themselves during this difficult time," Adams said.
The five-alarm fire began due to a malfunctioning space heater in a third-floor duplex in the 19-story apartment building, New York City's fire commissioner said. Inspectors suspect a possible "malfunction" of fire doors and the building's alarm system worsened the fire's damage, Adams and the commissioner respectively said.
However, a spokesperson for the property owners said the smoke alarms had no known issues and "worked as designed."
The fire injured over 60 people, including 32 with life-threatening injuries. Roughly 200 firefighters spent an hour extinguishing the flames, the New York Post reported.
All 17 victims reportedly died of smoke inhalation, according to WABC-TV. Of the 17, four were members of the Drammeh family, ranging from ages 12 to 50, and five were members of the Dukureh family, ranging from ages 5 to 49.
Inspections by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) last week found that the building's residents lived in poor conditions. The inspections found several apartments had broken smoke alarms, busted ovens, mold or lacked smoke detectors as well as carbon monoxide detectors altogether.
"We have worked tirelessly to improve conditions for our residents," a spokesperson for ownership said.
A Bronx couple that survived the fire has filed a class-action lawsuit suing the city and the building's owners seeking $1 billion in damages and medical expenses. They allege the owners and city inspectors should have repaired issues that contributed to the fire.
