Here is an exclusive chilling first look inside the fire-ravaged Bronx apartment where a massive blaze started Sunday, killing 17 people.
The apocalyptic second-floor duplex is completely gutted and charred, with twisted metal and debris strewn about in front of gaping, large, open windows, while a lone metal railing somehow survived upright, according to a heartbreaking snapshot obtained by The Post on Monday.
Other dramatic images and video from the decimated second floor show debris scattered in the hallway outside, along with puddles of water from Fire Department hoses, in what now resembles a blackened tunnel.
Video footage offers glimpses inside several other apartments destroyed by the blaze, with huge holes in their doors and walls. The door to the unit where the fire is believed to have started is seen padlocked.
Inside the damaged hallway area of the building.
Another look inside the burnt building.
The video also shows a padlocked door in one of the burned-out hallways.
Officials gather outside the building amid the fire. Paul Martinka
Interior damage caused by the fire. Handout Photo
At least 17 people have died as a result of the blaze.
FDNY officials said the fire started with a malfunctioning space heater inside the duplex apartment, with the smoke and flames spreading quickly through an open front door.
Authorities said nine of those killed were children, while at least 63 other people were injured, some of them still in critical condition.
A review by The Post Sunday revealed that the 120-unit high-rise, built as part of an urban renewal project in 1972, had more than two dozen complaints and violations since 2014 — but none over fire code or safety issues.
Religious and community leaders held a vigil at the scene of the deadly Bronx fire on Monday, praying for the victims. Paul Martinka
A cleaning crew prepares to enter the apartment building in the Bronx in the aftermath of the fire that killed 17. G.N.Miller/NYPost
Cleaning and recovery crews work in the apartment building in the Bronx on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. AP