A devastating fire shook a Manhattan community after three people died and several others were injured on Monday when flames quickly spread through the only stairwell of an apartment building in Inwood. On Tuesday, family members confirmed that two of the victims trapped in the blaze were a mothe r and daughter, identified as 49-year-old fashion journalist Yolaine Díaz, and her 73-year-old mother, Ana Mirtha Lantigua. The fire broke out shortly after midnight Monday in a building on Dyckman Street, between Vermilyea Avenue and Broadway, in the Inwood neighborhood. Who were the victims? Who was Yolaine Díaz? Díaz was known for having been the fashion and beauty editor for People en Español. The Spanish-language magazine noted she was born in Bonao, Dominican Republic, and moved to New York City as a teenager. After starting as an intern at the magazine, Díaz later became a writer and eventually the digital editor for fashion and beauty. She was also very active on social media, sharing travel, fashion and beauty stories. She died along with her mother in the devastating fire. The identity of the third person who died was still unknown as of Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, other families remain gathered at hospitals, keeping vigil beside the beds of their loved ones who suffered severe burns. Five people who survived the initial fire were reported to be fighting for their lives; according to their relatives, several required intubation. There were no immediate updates on the condition of the most seriously injured as of Tuesday. During the height of the fire, several people could be seen trying to escape the burning building via the exterior emergency stairwells. In addition to the fatalities and the critically injured, one firefighter and five other civilians suffered minor injuries. What could prevent greater tragedies during a fire? In total, more than 200 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene. The Department of Buildings was on site Tuesday, inspecting the structure. The fire department also returned Tuesday to educate the community on how to avoid mistakes and tragedies like this. “If there’s a fire, it doesn’t matter if someone lives on the first or sixth floor. Everyone has to evacuate the building,” said Marty Mejia of the New York Fire Foundation. “Most buildings around here have those stairwells. It’s a clear indication that the building isn’t fireproof.” He also emphasized the importance of closing doors. “And the mistake they made was leaving the doors open. By leaving the doors open, the fire spread throughout the entire building,” said Mejia. Firefighters said apartments in the building that had closed their doors sustained minimal damage, echoing a public service announcement released just over a week ago following another deadly fire, this time in the Bronx. What caused the fire? The cause of the Inwood fire is under investigation. ...read more read less