What we can still learn from the South Bronx fires: neighborhoods reduced to ashes

In the South Bronx, over 5,000 buildings burned down between the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to systemic neglect and economic exploitation. The fires were falsely attributed to local residents, while landlords profited from insurance claims. Many families lost their homes, and the area was devastated, with some neighborhoods losing nearly all their structures. Vivian Vázquez Irizarry, who grew up in the Bronx, later uncovered that many fires were unrecorded and created a documentary to tell the true story. Today, luxury developments replace the ruins, and the history of those who suffered is largely forgotten.