Deadly Bronx fire kills at least 19, we remember Bob Saget: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Deadly Bronx fire kills at least 19
The blaze is one of the worst in the country in decades. Plus, education reporter Alia Wong talks about COVID-19 testing in child care, we remember Bob Saget, NFL reporter Mike Jones looks ahead to the Playoffs and college football crowns a champion.
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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Monday, the 10th of January 2022. Today, a devastating apartment fire in New York City. Plus the fight for COVID testing in childcare and more.
Here are some of the top headlines:
- Representatives from the US and Russia will meet today for strategic talks that could shape tense relations between the two countries. A possible Russian invasion of Ukraine remains the most urgent issue.
- An Australian judge has reinstated tennis star Novak Djokovic's visa. It was initially canceled after his arrival last week because he is unvaccinated.
- And for the first time, there will be a female minor league baseball manager. Rachel Balkovec is taking over the Low-A Tampa Tarpons in the New York Yankees system.
At least 19 people are dead after an apartment fire in New York City. The blaze at the complex in the Bronx was New York's deadliest fire in more than 30 years. The city's fire commissioner, Dan Nigro said the tragedy began from a malfunctioning space heater.
Dan Nigro:
This fire began in a department that spans two floors on the second and third floor of the building. It started in a malfunctioning electric space heater. That was the cause of the fire. The fire consumed that apartment that is on two floors and part of the hallway. The door to that apartment unfortunately, when the residents left was left open, it did not close by itself. The smoke spread throughout the building, thus the tremendous loss of life and other people fighting for their lives right now in hospitals all over the Bronx.
Taylor Wilson:
Thirteen people were still hospitalized as of last night, with most victims suffering from severe smoke inhalation. And out of the 19 dead, nine were children. Newly-in-office mayor, Eric Adams, said, "This is a horrific, epic, painful moment for the city of New York. The numbers are horrific." Many residents could not escape through stairwells because the level of smoke was too severe, and waited to be rescued by window. Thirteenth floor survivor Luis Rosa told the Associated Press, "Once I opened the door, I couldn't even see that far down the hallway. So I said, 'Okay, we can't run down the stairs because if we run down the stairs, we're going to end up suffocating." Another resident, Winter Thomas said the building had no working sprinklers during the fire.
Winter Thomas:
Sprinklers. We need security, bro. We need all that. We need all that. Everything that a regular building has, we need that.
Reporter:
Are there no sprinklers there?
Winter Thomas:
No sprinklers. These was kids I grew up with. I'm young. These is kids ... These is kids we grew up with, kids I went to school with. It was just scary. I was more worried about my family than myself.
Taylor Wilson:
The building was built in 1973 as part of a project to build modern affordable housing in the Bronx. Fire officials said the borough has not had a fire this devastating since 1990 when the Happy Land fire killed 87 people. Yesterday's fire was the biggest loss of life in a New York fire since then, not counting 9/11. It follows last week's apartment fire in Philadelphia that killed 12 people.
Large scale regular testing remains rare in the childcare sector 21 months into the pandemic. But as education reporter Alia Wong tells us, it could finally be ramping up.
Alia Wong:
So there's little data, but my reporting suggests that overall they're not handling it very well. And that's largely because they haven't accessed the tools needed to do it right. At the K-12 level, a concept called "test to stay" has begun to take hold and that's when students who are exposed to the virus can remain in school as long as they test negative at least twice in the week following the exposure. And last month, the CDC published data, essentially endorsing that strategy in K-12. So it's really started to gain traction, at least at the K-12 level. But in the early learning sector, large scale regular testing is pretty rare.
Part of the reason is that daycares simply haven't been as much of a priority in testing initiatives. Young children, as we know, are at extremely low risk of getting seriously sick from COVID. But another reason is just a lack of manpower and organization, really. Centers rarely have the onsite nurses and other personnel needed to administer the test. And it's not like they have a school district or a central organizing body they can turn to coordinate the testing program.
Testing programs at childcare settings are not just about the health and safety of employees. It's also about equities. Young children may not be at much of a risk of getting sick from COVID, but the adults who work with them can be and these adults in the childcare sector are predominantly low income women, many of them women of color. It's a frontline workforce that's been largely invisible throughout the pandemic. And as one person told me, while society fretted over whether to return teachers to K-12 classrooms, no one really batted an eye about getting early learning workers back to the job. And so testing in daycare settings really gives these employees peace of mind and also the convenience. I mean, we know there are shortages, the demand far outweighs the supply of test kits, commercially and at community test sites. So giving them the option of just getting tested easily at their workplace, I mean, has made a real difference in the lives of these workers.
Taylor Wilson:
You can find Alia's full story in today's episode description.
The entertainment world is remembering Bob Saget today. The comedian and actor died yesterday after a television and movie career spanning a number of guest appearances and a hosting gig on America's Funniest Home Videos. But he was best known as the widowed father, Danny Tanner in ABC's Full House.
Bob Saget:
Gentlemen, Tarzan who was raised in the jungle by apes, went to bed in better shape than that baby.
Taylor Wilson:
Saget was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Orlando and pronounced dead on the scene. Orange County Sheriff's Office detectives told USA Today that they found no sign of foul play or drug use in the case. His co-stars on Full House have been expressing their sadness on social media over the past 24 hours. John Stamos tweeted, "I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never have another friend like him. I love you so much, Bobby." Bob Saget was 65.
The NFL regular season came to a close last night as the Las Vegas Raiders narrowly edged the Los Angeles Chargers in overtime in a game where a tie would've been enough to send both teams to the playoffs. And so the entire post-season bracket is now set. Paste BN Sports' Mike Jones breaks it all down.
Mike Jones:
For the first round of the playoffs which will kick off on Saturday, January 15th, it'll be the Raiders at the Bengals at 4:30. Then, the Patriots will play the Bills - that is 6 vs. 3 - at 8:15. On Sunday, The Eagles, the No. 7 seed in the NFC, will play the Buccaneers, No. 2 seed, at 1:00 PM. Then, the No. 6 49ers will play at Dallas at 4:30 PM. And then the Steelers, No. 7 seed in the AFC ,will play at No. 2 Kansas City at 8:15. Then it all wraps up on Monday with the No. 5 Cardinals at the No. 4 Rams at 8:15 PM.
I'm looking at the Patriots vs. the Bills as a can't miss game. These are divisional rivals. They have split so far this season. Remember that game where the Patriots ran the ball like crazy, only attempted three passes and then the Bills the next time around got their revenge in Foxborough? That's a can't miss game, and I feel like Monday night, the Cardinals at the Rams, divisional rivals again, is another game that is going to be two very familiar opponents. Should be very hotly contested. All of these games are good, but those are my two picks for the can't miss games.
My favorite coming out of the NFC will be Green Bay. They have the bye this week, but they were my preseason pick coming out of the NFC and have not deviated from that. They're the most well rounded team, I think, in the league. And then coming out of the AFC, I have the Chiefs. I know they started off kind of shaky, but then they finished off 9-1. They are not the 1 seed, they're the No. 2 seed, but I still think that of all the teams in the AFC, they've got the best quarterback. They've got a potentially explosive offense. They've got a defense at making game changing plays. So the Chiefs are my pick. They also were my preseason pick. And I was wondering about that one. They looked kind of shaky, but as the season has progressed, they have gotten their groove back. And so I think that we have the Packers and the Chiefs on target to face each other in LA for the Super Bowl.
Taylor Wilson:
For more, head to USATODAY.com/sports.
College Football will choose its champion tonight. It's an all-SEC matchup between No. 3 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama. The game is a rematch from January 2018, when 'Bama narrowly beat Georgia 26 to 23 to win it all. In fact, this is the sixth time since the College Football playoff began in 2014, that Alabama has the game, and they've won it three times. They are also the defending champions from last year and are looking to repeat for the first time since 2012. As for Georgia, the Bulldogs are trying to snap a seven game losing streak against the Tide. They're also looking for the programs first title in 41 years. You can tune in live from Indianapolis tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.
And you can find 5 Things right here seven mornings a week, wherever you like to listen to your pods. Thanks to PJ Elliot for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from Paste BN.