Two women, ages 24 and 26, were left with serious injuries along with three others who were hurt in a fire that swept through a four-story Brooklyn apartment building early morning on Oct. 2. According to a report in the New York Post, the blaze erupted inside the building on Eastern Parkway near Troy Avenue in Crown Heights, leaving the women suffering from smoke inhalation and in critical condition.
Both women were transported to Kings County Hospital Center, while a 55-year-old woman, also found in the burning building, was taken to Staten Island University Hospital South. She is said to be in stable condition. Two other victims also suffered non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. The cause of the fire still remains under investigation by FDNY’s fire marshals. Our thoughts are with the injured victims of this fire and those affected by it.
Liability of Property Owners and Managers
In New York City, property owners and managers can be held liable for fires when their negligence (carelessness) or failure to maintain safety conditions contributes to fire risk, injury or death. In these types of cases, the principles of premises liability, local fire and building codes, and municipal regulations can apply.
Duty of care: Property owners and property managers have a legal duty of care, which means they must ensure that buildings are safe, fire hazards are addressed and that safety systems (smoke detectors, sprinklers, alarms) are installed, maintained, and functional. They must comply with the city’s fire and building codes as well as related regulations. These include rules with regard to emergency exits, self-closing doors, alarm systems, fire doors and storage of flammables.
Breach of duty: Liability generally requires showing a breach of duty. Examples include failure to repair known defects, blocked exits, broken alarms or sprinklers and faulty wiring. Also, when property owners and managers ignore tenant complaints or inspection results, that helps establish liability.
Causation and harm: Plaintiffs (victims) in such cases must also prove that the breach was a direct cause of harm or that the property owner or manager’s failure contributed to the fire’s ignition, spread or severity. Harm might include physical injuries, death, property damage, displacement, etc.
Compensation for Fire Victims
Victims of fires in New York City may be entitled to compensation when another party’s negligence, such as a property owner, property manager or maintenance company contributed to the incident. Compensation is designed to cover both economic and non-economic damages arising from the fire. Economic damages include medical expenses for burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries, as well as the costs of rehabilitation, lost wages and benefits, and property losses.
Victims may also recover expenses for temporary housing, relocation, and replacement of destroyed belongings. Non-economic damages address the pain and suffering caused by the fire, including emotional distress, trauma, and reduced quality of life. In cases involving fatalities, surviving family members can pursue wrongful death claims to recover funeral costs, loss of companionship, and future financial support. An experienced New York personal injury lawyer can help victims and their families understand their rights and secure just compensation for their losses.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Whether you have been living as a tenant at a private apartment complex or in a public housing unit (NYCHA) (the Projects), please remember that you have legal rights. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of dangerous conditions, 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 54 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 insurance 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 of our clients 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, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy 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://nypost.com/2025/10/02/us-news/nyc-apartment-building-fire-leaves-two-young-woman-clinging-to-life-officials/