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These old tenement buildings are tinderboxes. They're all wood frame construction and the building code that the building was constructed under was not as advanced in fire protection safety as it is now. There's certain things that are just not allowed today, for example, no new buildings are constructed with fire escapes. Egress is now provided by enclosed fire stairs for multiple dwellings. This unfortunately can happen in any older residential section of the city.
The Mayor said that there was nothing wrong with the building itself. But I agree with your post above - all of these wooden tinder old tenement buildings *are* fire hazards - whether the department of buildings agrees or not.
And I guess you have to speak moron to these people, when the smoke detector beeps you replace the battery with a 9 volt and even if it doesn't you check at least once a year by pushing the little button
It was an endless fight between my mom and some of her tenants regarding smoke detectors. They would dismantle it because it was "too sensitive" and would "beep at everything". So...they took out the batteries.
They'll go after the building owner. Deep pockets. Doubt the mom has anything.
On what grounds? They can go after him or her all they want, but if the Mayor and the Fire Commissioner have already said that there was nothing structurally wrong with the building itself, the landlord will come out winning. The poor folks who will try to use the landlord as a cash cow will wind up poorer trying to pay legal fees as the attorney tries to dig up reasons and forensic experts for which to charge the landlord.
The building is about a 100 years old and not up to code. The city should now start forcing landlords to demolish such dwellings. They are an accident waiting to happen.
low class uneducated people as usual. When we had kids, first thing we did was baby proof the place, rubber corners on all sharp tables, window guards, staircase fence, locks on cabinets, and baby proof knobs on the gas stove. When we saw one of the kids wobbling with those knobs, a stern yelling to and they didn't touch again - not that they could have turned it on because they couldn't.
And I guess you have to speak moron to these people, when the smoke detector beeps you replace the battery with a 9 volt and even if it doesn't you check at least once a year by pushing the little button
A lot of baby proofing is overhyped. I particularly hated oven knobs because they were difficult for adults to use as well. I just took the knobs OFF the stove, and put them on when I needed them. That worked just fine.
Oh and this fire happened in BELMONT. The thread title is wrong.
The building is about a 100 years old and not up to code. The city should now start forcing landlords to demolish such dwellings. They are an accident waiting to happen.
Not feasible in any way, beginning with the fact that many such buildings have landmark status. Basic things can be done though to protect tenants like self closing doors, tamper proof smoke detectors, basic education campaigns
Presumably the families of the deceased will file lawsuits against the mother of the kid that started the fire, or against the building owner?
it wasn't the building owners fault the building went on fire.
her kid was playing with the stove,
her kid started the fire
she left the door open
how would that be the owners responsibility???
and I think, JMO, every tenant should be responsible for THIER OWN detectors, and I think that responsibility should be taken off the LL's.
I know Id buy one if it weren't supplied by the building.
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