Eight die in New York tenement fire

Eight people have perished in a fire that broke out in a tenement house in the east side of New York City today.

A number of others, including children, were seriously injured. 

The tenement was a five story building and housed between 40 and 50 families, most of whom were immigrants. Many of the families who rushed out into the open are now suffering from exposure due to the extreme cold. 

'The Tenement: A Menace to All'. A cartoon from the magazine Puck which depicts the dangers which exist within tenement buildings. (Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA)

The fire brigade were quickly on the scene but their ladders were not tall enough to reach the top floors of the building which had been cut off by the flames. 

Five of the eight deaths were caused by people jumping from windows in attempt to escape the flames.

It appears that the fire was caused intentionally and early reports suggest that it was a vendetta against an Italian family that were residing in the building.