The grieving father of a woman killed in the Bronx apartment fire on Sunday recounted the moment he was separated from his daughter while his wife and other children struggled to escape the smoke.
Tijan Janneh, 64, told DailyMail.com about the terrifying moment he ventured outside the 6C apartment of the Twin Park North West complex and lost sight of his 27-year-old daughter Sera Janneh.
In the aftermath of the fire, Tijan and his heartbroken wife called hospitals trying to locate Sera, who had been rushed to receive medical care in critical condition amid the chaos. Twenty-four hours later, the Janneh family learned about Sera's death.
'She was a nice woman. She was very caring, helping - she listened to us,' the distraught father-of-seven said of his daughter, who is among 17 people killed in the blaze. More than 50 other people were injured.
'When the fire broke [out], I'm the one who opened the door to the alarm sounding,' he explained. 'It was 10 minutes to 11 in the morning...I [saw] the smoke. Then I called everybody [to come outside]. She was telling me ''Maybe we can stay,'' but we [saw] people coming down and I said ''Let's go. We are all going.'''
Tijan, his wife and five of his children who still live with them managed to get to the fourth floor but were sent back in by firefighters who were trying to control the flames and dissipate the smoke in the hallways in order to ensure a safe evacuation.
'The smoke was coming, heavy. We tried to turn back to walk. All the lights [were] off in the building,' Tijan said.
Tijan said he and his family left the apartment thinking they would have a better chance to escape the flames.
'We had no idea. When we opened the door, we saw everybody on the floor. So everyone was trying to get [out], so we also decided to get [out].'
Sera Janneh's father told DailyMail on Tuesday that the late 27-year-old (pictured) was very caring
Tijan Janneh, 64 (pictured), confirmed the death of his 27-year-old daughter Sera Janneh to Dailymail.com
Firefighters told Tijan and other people in the hallways to return to their apartments until the smoke was controlled and they could leave the building safely, he said.
'I was crawling - to go up - because I could not see nothing. When [I saw] the fire department... somebody pushed me and said ''go go,''' he recalled.
What followed were unimaginable moments of anguish. His wife and some of his children did not make it back to the apartment but were eventually evacuated by firefighters.
He sheltered inside his apartment with some of his children and waited for instructions from the fire crew.
His door was closed this time so the smoke wouldn't get inside, Tijan said. Forty-five minutes later, they were told it was safe to leave.
'The fire department came, banged on the door and I said ''Where [are they]?'' And they said ''They're all out. They're ok.'' I said ''Ok, when they're ok, I'm good,''' Tijan told DailyMail.com.
But the scene Tijan found downstairs was beyond heartbreaking. He was met by his inconsolable wife and was told by the fire department that two of his daughters had been taken to hospitals due to smoke inhalation.
One of them was sent to a hospital in Manhattan, while Sera was rushed in critical condition to another hospital.
Tijan said that for an entire day, they were not sure where she had been taken. When they found out where Sera was, they learned she had passed away.
Parents Haja Dukureh, 37, and Haji Dukuray, 49 and their children were killed in the fire
Toure Seydou, 12, (left) and Mustafa Dukureh, 12, (right) died in the fire
Fatoumata Drammeh, 50, was also killed in the fire - her grieving sister Koumba told DailyMail.com - along with her three children: daughters Fatoumala, 21, and Nyumaaisha, 19, and son Mohammed, 12.
Parents Haja Dukureh, 37, and Haji Dukary, 49 and their children Mariam Dukureh, 11, Mustafa Dukureh, 12 and Fatoumata Dukureh, 5, also died.
Other fatal victims have been identified as Fatoumata Tunkara, 43, Toure Seydou, 12, Omar Jambang, 6, and Hawa Mahamdou, 5.
Additionally, a husband and wife have been named as victims of the blaze.
The deaths of Hagi Jawara, 41, and his wife Isatou Jabbie, 31, were confirmed Monday evening by Hagi's brother, Yusupha Jawara.
Other family members and friends have shared photos of their loved ones online, in a desperate bid to track them down after Sunday's blaze at the Twin Parks North West Complex in the New York borough, which was triggered by a space heater.
Tijan told DailyMail.com that the heating in the building was not ideal, and that he, as well as the family whose apartment the fire originated at, owned a space heater 'to keep his children warm.'
'That's the problem...because the heating in the building is not enough,' he said.
A New York City official, who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity, revealed fire marshals
