NEW YORK — Rapper and New York City native Cardi B will pay for the burials of the 17 children and adults who died in an apartment building fire in Fordham Heights earlier this month, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday. 

The Grammy Award-winning artist, who grew up in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, will cover all of the victims’ burial expenses, including the cost of laying several victims to rest in Gambia, Adams said in a press release. 

Mourners held a funeral for 15 of the victims at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx on Sunday. The two other victims' funerals were held on Jan. 12, three days after a blaze sparked by a malfunctioning space heater tore through the Twin Parks North West complex.

“I’m extremely proud to be from the Bronx, and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still,” Cardi B said in a statement. “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,” she added. “I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy.” 

Cardi B’s financial support will reach the victims via a relief fund set up by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the release said. 

As of Wednesday, the fund had raised more than $2.5 million for the families impacted by the blaze. 

In his own statement, Adams said he was “grateful for Cardi B, a real superstar on and off the mic, for granting some critical financial relief to families of the victims.”

“The city will be forever thankful to her and also to the grassroots donors and corporate partners who have been able to offer immediate support for our neighbors in need, to reestablish themselves during this difficult time,” he added.