[14] Twin Parks won architectural awards[17] and was widely hailed at the time as the "cutting edge of urban design",[18][19] though it failed to live up to its initial promise.

The source of the problem was that under its mandate from the state, the UDC was not subject to building codes and other municipal regulations, and could issue its own certificates of occupancy.

[8] At the time of the 2022 fire, the building housed a large Muslim West African population, notably many immigrants from The Gambia, as well as smaller communities from Mali and Burkina Faso.

[12][10] The fire itself was ultimately confined to the duplex apartment and the adjacent hallway, but heavy smoke quickly impeded visibility for escaping occupants.

[25] Smoke quickly spread from the unit's open door to the rest of the building, hampering other residents attempting to evacuate.

[29] The main challenge to firefighters' progress was the massive quantity of smoke generated by the fire, which extended the entire height of the building.

[6] About a dozen critically ill patients were transferred to specialized burn units in Manhattan, Westchester County and the Bronx after being stabilized at local hospitals.

[12][5][13] Among the victims was an entire Gambian immigrant family of five, including three children aged between 5 and 12, who fled an apartment on the top floor only to be overcome by smoke.

Tattoos, body jewelry, nail art and scars were used for identification purposes by the medical examiner’s office, as well as DNA matching.

[37] One resident stated that cold indoor temperatures were an ongoing problem requiring the additional use of space heaters;[38] while the building incurred 3 heating-related complaints in 2021, none were outstanding at the time of the fire.

[42] According to the property owners, maintenance staff checked the involved unit's self-closing mechanism in July 2021 and found it to be in working order.

[47] In a post-incident press conference, Commissioner Nigro said that when fires occur in high-rise fireproof buildings, "people should shelter in place," and that "it’s safer to be in your apartment than to venture out and try to get down the stairs and sometimes into a much more dangerous situation".