A terrible apartment fire in Queens left one man seriously burned and several others injured late last month. The blaze erupted in Long Island City just after 10PM in the first-floor apartment of a building located on 46th Avenue. Witnesses at the scene of the fire say they heard what sounded like an explosion and shortly thereafter began to see and smell smoke.
Several individuals were trapped inside their apartments and had to escape using exterior fire escapes. At least one man was trapped inside the apartment building and had to be rescued by FDNY responders. He sustain severe burns over his body and was immediately rushed to the burn unit of a nearby hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries.
Unsafe conditions are a serious problem in apartment complexes across New York City. Old or improperly installed wiring, leaking and poorly maintained gas lines, and the lack of working smoke detectors can turn a home into a blazing inferno in seconds. Indeed, as it the case with this latest apartment fire in New York City the explosion that caused the fire was instantaneous, turning the building into a death trap within minutes.
The responsibility to keep apartments safe for residents and the buildings themselves in good repair falls to the landlord or property owner.
If the landlord is made aware of a safety concern and doesn’t address it, the landlord could be held liable for any injuries caused by an apartment fire in New York. If the landlord hires contractors who make faulty repairs which contribute to a fire, those individuals could be held responsible as well.
If you or a loved one was injured in an apartment fire in New York that was caused by another person’s carelessness, you may have legal options available to you. A qualified apartment fire lawyer in New York City can help you seek financial compensation for lost time from work, physical injuries, and emotional trauma.
Call the experts at the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-3851122 to get the legal help you need right now.