On January 17, 2022, the City of New York suffered one of the worst fire related tragedies in its history with the tragic Twin Parks North West apartment building fire in the Bronx, killing 17 people. Just one week prior, a deadly building fire in the City of Philadelphia in a public housing authority building caused the death of 12 people. While each incident remains under investigation, these tragedies serve as a sobering reminder of how adherence to proper fire safety precautions can save lives and prevent severe and permanent injuries.
The National Fire Protection Agency reported that local fire departments responded to an estimated 1.4 million fires in the United States in the year 2020. These fires resulted in 3,500 civilian deaths and 15, 200 civilian injuries. Over a third of these fires occurred within “structures”, which include residential and commercial buildings.
Property owners and their agents have an obligation to ensure the safety of those who enter their property, which includes taking reasonable precautions to prevent fire and adhering to the local fire code. A fire code is a set of building regulations adopted by a state or local government, including the City of New York and State of New York, to prevent fires from starting in the first place and are meant to ensure an occupant’s safety if a fire does occur. If it can be shown that the property was violating the fire code or was otherwise dangerous at the time of a fire, and someone was injured or killed as a result, the property owners/managing agent may be liable for damages. This can include whether their actions, or inactions, allowed the blaze and/or smoke to spread or prevented people from safely exiting the property.
Often times the cause of a fire can be a defective product within the structure. One of the most dangerous types of product defects are fire hazards. Product manufacturers are responsible for making products that are reasonably safe for consumers. They are also responsible for including adequate safety warnings on products. Among the most common causes of house fires is defective home appliances including space heaters, air conditioning units, electrical devices, and devices containing lithium ion batteries.
Fire and electrocution hazards also create dangerous conditions at construction sites. About 5,000 fires are reported annually on construction sites across the United States. Fires usually occur from issues with fixed wiring but can also result from problems with cords, particularly overloaded extension cords, as well as plugs, receptacles, and switches. Explosions often occur when electricity ignites a pre-existing explosive mixture in the air, such as gases or exhausts.
It is critical that you and your family discuss fire safety. The American Red Cross has developed a “Home Fire Safety Checklist” which is a useful tool to address potential fire hazards and to discuss a fire escape plan. The checklist can be found by clicking this link.
Unfortunately, fire related injuries do continue to occur through the negligence of property owners, product manufacturers, and on construction sites. Sanocki Newman & Turret, LLP has been successful in handling all manner of premises liability, products liability and construction law cases, including cases involving fires and explosion related injuries, and has recovered fair and just compensation for injured clients and their families. Please call Sanocki Newman & Turret, LLP at (212) 962-1190 for a free consultation to see if you are entitled to compensation.