Vanessa Gibson had been Bronx borough president for less than two weeks when she faced a monumental tragedy: a fire at a building in Fordham Heights which has killed 17 people, eight of them children. And that number could easily rise, as there are more than a dozen in hospitals fighting for their lives. 

The fire decimated the mostly West African community that lives in the building and the neighborhood, as families lost multiple members. Many are now homeless and desperately in need of food, clothing and shelter. Gibson was on the scene almost immediately, and has been there nearly every day since. 

She joins In Focus to talk about the incredibly fast-moving fire, caused by a malfunctioning space heater and fed by the draft created by an open door. She also speaks about the multiple agencies working with residents to get them the aid they need, and how everyone can help as those families work to find some sense of normalcy while some prepare to bury their dead.

But she also addresses this: the Bronx has been the site of nearly all of the city’s worst and deadliest blazes in the past three decades. Why? Gibson says she believes it’s down to the neglect of landlords, as well as the city, state and federal governments.