VIDEO: One year after New York City's deadliest fire in decades, the firefighters who responded to the Twin Parks North West apartment complex on Jan. 9, 2022 are sharing their stories.
"It was a fire that you probably respond to once in a career," said Jeffrey Facinelli, a battalion chief at the FDNY's 18th Battalion.
"We were dealing with so many worst case scenarios,” said FDNY Capt. John Hunt. "It looked like a battlefield."
Hunt was among the first to arrive at the Bronx building, alongside the crews of Engine 48 and Ladder 56. They encountered smoke spilling out of windows, before heading inside to fight the fire.
"It’s almost like a tornado that you’re going into," said Hunt. "Very acrid, thick smoke that’s stuck right to your face inside, right to the thermal imaging camera to the point where I couldn’t see."