A six-alarm fire ripped through an apartment building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan last week, leaving one dead and more than a dozen injured.
According to the FDNY, the fire started at about 3:20 a.m. in an apartment building on East 93rd Street in Yorkville. After extinguishing the flames, firefighters found the body of a 25-year-old man who was killed on the third floor of the building. Incredibly, a daring rope rescue by the FDNY saved the life on a 81-year-old man trapped by the inferno.
As Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro explained, “the gentleman on the fifth floor was trapped with fire coming up the stairs and fire blocking the fire escape, and his two options were really to jump or to burn, and a firefighter was lowered from the roof in very dangerous fire and heat conditions”. He added that the rope rescue “was the only way in which this man could have been saved”.
The building was completely destroyed. The Red Cross is assisting 18 families that were displaced due to the fire.
The cause of last week’s fire is currently unknown.
Generally, the owners of property in New York are responsible for taking steps to prevent fires and manage them when they occur. Often, the owner of a building will hire a managing agent who is assigned the responsibility to protect innocent tenants and visitors to the property from injuries caused by fire. When they fail to install smoke detectors, provide sprinklers, ensure a safe means of egress, mark fire exits, post smoke detector notices, and keep them clear, they put their tenants and guests at a much greater risk of suffering an injury or death as a result of a fire.
If you or a loved one has sustained injuries or death caused by a fire, please do not hesitate to call us for a free legal consultation.
