MAN ALL HANDS 31 E 1 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE IN THE BASEMENT,
— FDNY (@FDNY) December 10, 2014Emergency responders found a woman dead after an early-morning fire tore through her basement apartment at 31 E. First St.
The FDNY responded after 3 a.m. to the building just east of Second Avenue.
The Daily News reports that the cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Authorities have not released the woman's name yet. An investigation continues.
Updated 10:07 a.m.
DNAinfo has more details here.
Updated 2:43 p.m.
DNAinfo reports that the victim is Evelyn Dahab, 33, an author and part-owner of Lucey's Lounge in Gowanus.
"She was bigger than life and too young to die," said her grieving father, Richard, who visited the apartment Wednesday afternoon.
[Image via Facebook]
According to DNAinfo, "she planned to leave her apartment come Dec. 31 because of 'a painful legal dispute' with her building's management company, Big Apple Management."
Updated 7:21 p.m.
Per NY1:
Investigators say the fire was accidental, caused by a power strip plugged in with many appliances.
Oh, that's just so awful. My prayers go out to her friends and family.
ReplyDeleteRest in peace, so sorry for this.
ReplyDeleteThe victim was 33, not 20.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. All East Village buildings should be fitted with sprinkler systems. There is no reason why it can't be done. The landlords can afford it with the rents being charged these days. There is no excuse.
ReplyDelete@ 2:09
ReplyDeleteThank you. I updated the story.
So sad. Condolences to the family.
ReplyDeleteThis is heartbreaking. I have a smoke detector in my apartment. We used to have them in the hallway, but they were removed a few years back. Does anyone know if landlords are required to install them in the hallway on each floor?
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how these landlords renovate apartments and make them look good on the surface but don't update the electrical and install more outlets. Hence everyone is using these power strips. It's so dangerous. I feel so bad for this woman.
ReplyDelete@ anon 9:15: http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/homeowners/carbon_monoxide.shtml lists the obligations of owners and tenants
ReplyDeleteWhile it's a tragedy that this young woman lost her life, why is it that the blame immediately falls on the landlord of the building. Every "power strip" has a warning not to exceed the recommended ratings; if there is not enough outlets for you, don't rent the apartment; and unfortunately most people take down and remove the batteries from their smoke detectors when they burn a piece of toast, then it's on the shelf non-functional when a real situation occurs. Condolences to the family.
ReplyDelete"if there is not enough outlets for you, don't rent the apartment" -- yeah, that's very realistic. Always the first thing I look for, cuz these old tenements are usually loaded with outlets. not. I'll bet the issue is more that there were enough outlets when she moved in, but we have so many more things now that use electricity, who isn't maximizing powerstrips?
ReplyDelete