Three people have died and five others have been critically injured in a horrific apartment building fire in Inwood, Manhattan, that broke out early morning on May 4. According to a WABC news report, the flames erupted on the first floor of an apartment on Dyckman Street. Fourteen people were injured and five are in critical condition, including several children, based on the news report. A firefighter was also injured. More than 100 people were displaced and are being helped by the Red Cross to find temporary housing.
Officials said the fire, which started on the first floor, consumed stairwells and hallways and shot up through the roof of the six-story building. Firefighters arrived within 3 minutes to find residents trapped on the fire escape and thick, black smoke pouring out of the building. It took 200 FDNY personnel nearly two and a half hours to get the fire under control. The three deceased victims have not yet been identified.
We offer our deepest condolences to the families of these victims. Our thoughts and prayers are also with everyone who has been injured or displaced by this horrific fire.
Officials Say Open Doors Caused Fire to Spread
Fire officials said some apartment doors were left open, which allowed the fire to spread quickly. New York’s housing maintenance code mandates that all doors be self-closing. Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy said the city needs to make sure that property owners and managers are complying with the requirement to make sure all doors in their apartment buildings are self-closing.
Closed doors can help lessen or even completely prevent the spread of fire. New York City requires self-closing doors, especially in apartment buildings, because they play a critical role in slowing the spread of fire and smoke. Most fire-related deaths are caused not by flames, but by smoke inhalation. A closed door acts as a barrier, keeping toxic smoke and intense heat contained to the area where the fire started.
Closed Doors Save Lives
When a door is left open during a fire, smoke can quickly fill hallways and stairwells, which are the primary escape routes for residents. This makes it harder for people to evacuate safely and for firefighters to reach the source of the fire. Self-closing doors ensure that even if someone forgets or is unable to close the door while escaping, it will shut automatically, helping to compartmentalize the fire.
This simple mechanism along with shut doors during a fire can significantly reduce the temperature and smoke levels on the other side of the door. In many documented cases, rooms behind closed doors remain survivable much longer than those exposed to open flames and smoke.
Liability Issues
Liability for fire-related injuries or deaths linked to missing or nonfunctional self-closing doors in apartment buildings often falls on the property owner/manager. If a property owner or manager fails to install or maintain compliant doors, they may be considered negligent (careless). This means they did not meet their legal duty to provide a safe living environment. In such cases, injured tenants or families of victims can pursue compensation for their losses.
Property maintenance companies or contractors, etc. may also share liability if they were responsible for upkeep or repairs. Determining fault in such cases typically depends on the specific facts, including whether violations were reported and/or ignored.
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. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
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 and we got $2,250,000 for another hot water burn victim 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, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases 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.
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1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
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Source: https://abc7ny.com/post/3-dead-5-critical-condition-amid-apartment-fire-inwood-upper-manhattan/19034715/