Cardi B Offers To Cover Funeral Expenses for Grieving Families After Bronx Fire

“I’m extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still. So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help,” the rapper said.

Getty Image Credit: Tommaso Boddi / Stringer
Getty Image Credit: Tommaso Boddi / Stringer

In the aftermath of the fire that killed 17 people in the Bronx more than a week ago, singer Cardi B, a native of the borough, has offered to pay the funeral costs of the affected families.

The fire, which was started by a faulty space heater according to New York City Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro, was New York City’s deadliest fire in three decades. Many of the affected families, who have ties in Gambia and have plans to bury their loved ones in their homeland, face financial hardship in addition to grief.

Now, with the help of Cardi B, the financial stressors related to the event have been significantly reduced: New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday that Cardi B is set to pay the repatriation expenses of some of the victims who will be buried in Gambia.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Bronx superstar spoke on the importance of helping during such a tragedy, saying, “I’m extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still. So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help.”

“I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the families of the victims are experiencing, but I hope that not having to worry about the costs associated with burying their loved ones will help as they move forward and heal. I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy,” she added.

This isn’t the first time that the raptress has given back to her community, in 2018 she donated $8,000 to the family of Junior Guzman-Feliz, a 15-year-old boy who was tragically murdered in the Bronx, and later that year, she handed out hundreds of coats ahead of New York’s snow storms.

Outside of Cardi’s home borough, other cities in the U.S. have been struck by tragedies linked to indoor fires: Earlier this month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, nine children and three adults were killed in a row-home fire. A mass funeral was held in honor of the victims on January 17.