A tragic fire in a Bronx apartment building left devastation in its wake on Sunday, January 9, 2022. At least 17 people lost their lives, including as many as nine children. The blaze started from a faulty space heater in one of the apartment units, according to an initial investigation by New York City Fire Department officials. In total, 63 residents of the 19-story apartment building at 333 East 181st Street were injured, with 32 of the injury victims receiving treatment at local hospitals. The newly-appointed Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, described the fire tragedy as one of the worst the city had experienced in recent memory. Ronemus & Vilensky are now representing a couple and suing the building owner for $600 million.
Alarming Similarities to a 2017 Bronx Apartment Blaze
For renowned personal injury attorney Robert Vilensky of the law firm Ronemus & Vilensky, LLP, the January apartment fire bore striking – and alarming – similarities to a fire that occurred in 2017. In December of that year, a stove was pinpointed as the source of the fire, which ultimately led to the deaths of 13 individuals and dozens more injuries of residents in the Prospect Avenue apartment block in the Belmont neighborhood. Mr. Vilensky represented 12 of the 13 families affected by the blaze in a $110 million lawsuit against the City of New York and the landlords/owners of the building.
Robert Vilensky is a noted expert in fire and other personal injury cases, having represented hundreds of clients. His law firm has recovered millions of dollars in damages and settlements on behalf of their clients, helping them to restore what was lost in the wake of devastating events.
Faulty Fire Doors May Have Led to Injuries and Deaths
One of the most alarming similarities between the 2017 and 2022 Bronx apartment fires is the lack of proper function of fireproof doors in both buildings. New York fire codes require apartment buildings to be equipped with fire doors that close automatically when a fire breaks out. In the 2017 fire, investigators determined that doors manufactured by Capitol Fireproof Door Company did not function as intended, allowing smoke and flames to spread. In fact, one of the lawsuits filed in the wake of the fire targeted the fire door maker and others, seeking over $1 billion in damages.
The 2022 fire’s early investigation suggests that the same dysfunction of fireproof doors may have been responsible for the rapid spread of fire into multiple apartment units. There is also evidence that previous owners of the 181st Street building were cited for problems in the past, including missing or non-functioning fire doors. The 2017 and 2022 fires are not the only cases where non-functioning fire doors have led to injury. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development has issued thousands of citations to building owners throughout the Five Boroughs regarding the failure of fireproof doors to function as designed.
For now, residents of apartment buildings in the city are urged by the New York City Fire Department to check fireproof doors and to report them to landlords and the fire department if they do not work. Robert Vilensky believes more needs to be done to ensure the health and safety of New York’s apartment residents. Fires like the January 2022 blaze could have been prevented from causing widespread loss of life. As investigators continue to sift through fire evidence, it is hoped that changes in fire codes and enforcement will make city apartment buildings safer for all.
