Ten people were injured in a two-alarm Bronx apartment building fire where the
property manager had recently been issued a violation for failure to maintain self-closing doors in one apartment. According to a Gothamist.com report, firefighters responded early morning on Feb. 5 to the fire at a six-story building on 2397 Grand Avenue near Fordham Road. There were reports of a fire in a third-floor apartment.
More than 100 firefighters from 25 units fought the fire. Ten people were reported injured including one firefighter, according to FDNY. A pregnant woman and two children were rescued from the fourth floor. Seven of the injured victims were transported to area hospitals, while three refused medical attention. News 12 reported that there were smoke inhalation injuries. Fire officials said the fire spread because the apartment door was left open. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been injured in this fire. It is indeed fortunate that no one was critically injured or killed.
Lack of Building Maintenance
The building’s management was cited by the city’s Housing and Preservation Department (HPD) on Jan. 19 for failure to maintain a self-closing door in a third-floor apartment. The city requires self-closing doors in large residential buildings. The risk of poorly maintained self-closing doors that fail to work was highlighted in the aftermath of the Jan. 9 Twin Parks fire in the Bronx, which killed 17 people after a space heater malfunctioned and non-functioning self-closing doors in the building failed to stop the spread of deadly smoke. Eight of the dead were children and all victims who died suffered smoke inhalation injuries.
In the most recent Feb. 5 incident, FDNY officials said the fire began in a different apartment where a number of open violations were issued on Dec. 14, 2021 including smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors that were not working and a broken electrical outlet in one of the rooms.
Numerous residents have complained about the building’s maintenance including about lack of heat in the entire building. Most of the other complaints involved mice, leaks, mold or ceiling collapses. The city’s Department of Buildings as well as HPD were at the scene evaluating the conditions over the weekend.
Property Owners’ Responsibilities
New York City laws require property owners and/or property managers to provide, install and maintain smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in each unit. The devices should also be maintained and remain in good working order. In addition, self-closing doors are required in all buildings with three or more apartments. A fire escape plan must be posted on the inside of every apartment door, common area and distributed to each dwelling, new tenants and annually during fire prevention week.
When a fire is caused by negligence (carelessness) or a lack of property maintenance, the property owners and/or property managers may be held liable for the injuries and loss of life that occurs. Injured victims or families of deceased victims can file a premises liability claim against the responsible parties including, but not limited to, the property owner, property manager, maintenance/repair company, etc.
Injured victims in such cases can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families that have lost loved ones can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire or explosion, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For over 50 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of assisting injured victims. One of our clients — a hot water burn victim — secured $750,000 in damages from the property owner and manager.
Our firm also obtained a $985,000 settlement out of a $1 million policy for two people who suffered smoke inhalation injuries because the homeowner did not have smoke detectors installed and the $15,000 that was left on the insurance policy was for a person that we did not represent. Another client recovered $2,500,000 due to a faulty space heater. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://gothamist.com/news/two-alarm-fire-breaks-out-bronx-apartment-building-cited-failure-maintain-self-closing-doors