FDNY: Candle Triggered Deadly Bronx Blaze In Illegally-Subdivided Firetrap In Foreclosure; Power To Premises Previously Shut Off

In New York City, The Wall Street Journal reports:

• Fire marshals have determined a candle started a fast-moving fire that killed a 12-year-old boy and his parents in an apartment building city officials say was illegally subdivided.



• The troubled three-story Bronx building was in foreclosure, and the utility Consolidated Edison had shut off the electricity because it had no record of tenants at that address. But the victims and others were living there in illegally subdivided apartments where access to fire escapes was blocked, city officials said after the April 25 blaze.



• The death of Christian Garcia and his parents, Christina Garcia, 43, and Juan Manuel Lopez, 36, prompted a city crackdown on illegal subdivisions, which are common in many neighborhoods where tenants struggle to make ends meet.

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• The building's ownership status and who should have been responsible for it were the subjects of debate. The owner listed on city records said he lost it during a foreclosure proceeding, and it changed hands through several financial institutions. City officials have said the foreclosure had not been finalized.



• A state law that took effect last year makes lenders responsible for properties in foreclosure, but the dispute over the Bronx building is likely to end up in the courts. Because of the uncertainty, the Department of Buildings issued several violations on the day of the fire to the listed owner, Domingo Cedano, and the Bank of New York/Mellon, Buildings spokesman Tony Sclafani said.(1)

For more, see FDNY: Candle caused deadly Bronx fire.

In a related story, see New York Daily News: Bronx firetrap owner fined $25K for violations after devastating blaze killed 12-year-old, parents (Four violations against the bank were thrown out by Administrative Law Judge Malcolm Spector because it was not the titleholder at the time of the fire).

(1) For earlier posts on this story, see:

• Foot-Dragging Lender Says Bronx Firetrap Tragedy Not Its Problem; Foreclosure Sale Never Took Place Despite Obtaining Court Judgment,



• Tragedy Involving Deadly Bronx Firetrap That Lingered For Years In Foreclosure Spurs Crackdown On Illegally Converted Rooming Houses Throughout City,



• Early Morning Bronx Fire In Illegally Converted Rooming House Leaves 3 Dead, 8 Injured; Firetrap Lingered In Foreclosure Since 2008.