13th person dies week after apartment fire caused by toddler

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NY’-groh) says the fire started on a stove and raced through a door and up five floors. (Photo by Scott/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

NEW YORK — A 13th person has died from injuries suffered in one of New York City’s deadliest fires in decades.

Police say 27-year-old Holt Francis was critically injured in the Dec. 28 Bronx apartment building fire and died at a hospital on Thursday. They say the fire was caused by a 3-year-old boy playing with stove burners.

Francis’ wife, their two daughters and a niece also were killed in the fire.

Eight adults and five children died in the fire. Among them was 28-year-old Emmanuel Mensah, who rescued a number of people that night before going back into the burning building and dying of smoke inhalation.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NY’-groh) says the fire started on a stove and raced through a door and up five floors.