Bronx fire victims' funeral draws huge outpouring of grief

The fire itself was contained to one unit and an adjoining hallway, but investigators said the door to the apartment and a stairway door many floors up had been left open, creating a flue that allowed smoke to quickly spread throughout the building.New York City fire codes generally require apartment doors at larger apartment developments to be spring-loaded and slam shut automatically.In the wake of the deaths, a coalition of officials, including federal, state and city lawmakers announced a legislative agenda they hoped would stiffen fire codes and building standards to prevent similar tragedies from happening.The proposals range from requiring space heaters automatically shutoff and mandating that federally funded apartment projects install self-closing doors on units and stairwells that would have to be inspected on a monthly basis.As families prepared to bury their loved ones, others remained in hospitals, some in serious condition, because of smoke inhalation.Fundraisers have collected nearly $400,000 thus far.