‘We Pray To God’: Faulty Space Heater Caused Deadly Bronx Fire

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Jan. 11. Start your day off with more pandas, as seen in this video of the 16-month-old giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji playing in the snow, courtesy of the National Zoo. Also, see more photos of Capitol Hill’s snowy owl (above).

Here are some of the stories we’re covering today:

• We have the latest updates on the fatal Bronx fire, New York City’s deadliest fire in three decades.
• One takeaway from a new study that purports to have detected “deltacron,” a hybrid of the delta and omicron coronavirus variants, is that portmanteaus of diseases may not be helpful.
• Tributes continue to pour in for Bob Saget, the “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Video” star, including from his alma mater.

Authorities in New York City adjusted the death toll from Sunday’s five-alarm Bronx apartment building fire to 17, down from 19, because some victims were double-counted when they were taken to various hospitals.

“I guess it's a bit of good news that the number isn't 19, but 17, but don't forget there are many fighting for their lives in the hospital who were transported, so this number could unfortunately increase again,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Monday.

It’s small comfort. Many of those who escaped remained in critical condition Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. "We pray to God that they'll be able to pull through," he said.

Eight of those confirmed dead are children.

“Not only did this fire leave a burning pain in the hearts of the people in this community, but it has left a burning pain in the children and the teachers and the faculties of this school,” he said. » The Latest: Space Heater May Have Sparked Fire; Building Owner Has Ties To Mayor, via New York City Patch.

• Photos: NYC Mourns As Deadliest Fire In Decades Devastates Bronx, via New York City Patch

‘Deltacron’: Is It Real?

A researcher from Cyprus stands by a report claiming a new strain of coronavirus, dubbed “deltracron,” has signatures similar to the omicron variant within delta genomes in 25 cases of COVID-19, according to Bloomberg News.

Some experts aren’t convinced, though, and said the results are likely a lab error. One of them, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, COVID-19 expert for the World Health Organization, tweeted: "Let's not merge of names of infectious diseases and leave it to celebrity couples."

Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, an infectious diseases expert at Emory University in Atlanta, tweeted "the best thing we can do besides worrying about it and coining variant names that sound like a 'Transformers' villain, is ensuring that vaccines are available to everyone and combining vaccination with other strategies that give the virus fewer opportunities to spread." » ‘Deltacron’ A New COVID-19 Hybrid: 5 Things To Know, via Across America Patch

• Snow Leopard Dies Of COVID-19, via Champaign, Illinois, Patch.

Around ‘The Patch’

Bob Saget Mourned By Alma Mater: The comedian and star of "Full House" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" star graduated from Temple University with a degree in film in 1978, via Philadelphia Patch.

Watch: Pilot Escapes 2 Potential Disasters: "Go! Go! Go!" someone yelled as police officers dragged a pilot away from a small plane that had crashed — seconds before a train, its horn blaring, barreled through the aircraft, via Los Angeles Patch.

Bread Brigade Gets Governor’s Notice: A Howard County, Maryland, couple and a Baltimore bakery will receive governor's citations for helping feed stranded, hungry people during a storm, via Ellicott City, Maryland, Patch.

1st Transgender Actress Wins Golden Globe: Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, a theater kid from Newark, earned a milestone Golden Globe Award for her role in "Pose," via Newark, New Jersey, Patch.

Mom Charged In 6-Year-Old’s Murder: Prosecutors said the North Chicago boy died after he was forced into a cold shower as punishment. Two siblings also face charges, via Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, Illinois, Patch.

Robert Durst, Killer And NYC Real Estate Scion, Dies: Durst, who was the subject of the HBO documentary series "The Jinx," died Monday while imprisoned in California, via New York City Patch

Bears Clean House: Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy was fired by the team Monday morning, a day after the Bears finished the season with a 6-11 record, and three years after a promising start to Nagy's tenure in Chicago. The team has also parted ways with general manager Ryan Pace, the Bears announced Monday morning, via Chicago Patch.

Gator Has Class: A hungry alligator crawled out of a pond with a large fish in its mouth and strolled across a country club golf course to another pond, via Bradenton, Florida, Patch.

Patch Contributor Spotlight: Hal Green, a retired counselor and minister, writes of practicing gratitude: “Even though you may not have the power to instantly become grateful or to feel gratitude, as if turning on a light switch, you can nevertheless always give thanks by word and deed," via Across America Patch.

National News

Here are some of the latest national headlines from Across America Patch and other Patch sites:

• Medicare Told To Reassess Premium Hike For Alzheimer's Drug
• Invoking Jan. 6, Democrats Pivot To Fight For Voting Legislation
• Family Of Missing Waukesha Woman In Panama Crash Needs U.S. Help

Today In History

On Jan. 11, 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report confirming the long-suspected link between smoking and cancer. The report was released on a Saturday to limit immediate effects on the stock market, via History.com.

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