Monday, April 12, 2010

What's wrong with this picture?

From the Daily News:

The Chinatown building where a seven-alarm blaze started has a history of violations, including several for a broken boiler, records show.

It took more four hours and 250 firefighters to battle the fire, which broke out just after 10 p.m. Sunday at 283 Grand St., a six-story building with 16 apartments. Three civilians and 30 firefighters suffered minor injuries, and more than 200 people were left homeless.

The flames quickly spread to several neighboring buildings and around the block to Eldridge St.

The owner of 283 Grand St. is listed as Fair Only Real Estate Corp., based in Flushing, Queens. The company was slapped with at least nine violations in the past two years, including several for a broken boiler and at least five for obstructed passageways.

Fair Only has a small office on Grand St., between Eldridge and Allen Sts., above a textile store. A woman there who would not give her name confirmed she worked for the owner of 283 and 285 Grand but would not identify him. She said he had owned the buildings for at least 40 years. She declined to answer questions.


From the AP:

Officials say the Red Cross is helping the 50 to 60 families that were displaced.

200 people left homeless? 50-60 families displaced?

The C of O's for these buildings are for stores at ground level and 3 apartments on each of the 4 floors above...

9 comments:

Lino said...

Perhaps in your zeal you missed this:

"The flames quickly spread to several neighboring buildings and around the block to Eldridge St.'

According to the local TV news a total of FOUR buildings were damaged and at least two will have to be demolished.

Queens Crapper said...

No I didn't miss anything. They are all low-rise buildings.

Anonymous said...

It took more four hours and 250 firefighters to battle the fire, which broke out just after 10 p.m. Sunday at 283 Grand St., a six-story building with 16 apartments.

The C of O's for these buildings are for stores at ground level and 3 apartments on each of the 4 floors above...

Interesting, huh?

Gary the Agnostic said...

For that area? Sounds normal.

Anonymous said...

The second floor of the original fire build was used as storage for the stores on the first floor. As the fire was burning you could clearly see STOCK stored floor to ceiling in the windows.

Anonymous said...

3 apts x 4 floors x 2 buildings = 24 Families should be in those spaces.

how did they cram in 60???

And you're telling me that @ 200, people, that each "family" of 8 or 9 people per apartment???

Anonymous said...

these are Chinese people. when they smell smoke they run to the fire to pretend that they lived there to be listed as homeless to get on the top of every list and be given new apartments. They are experts at working the system and naive white people.

Multiple interpreters will be hired that they really don't need.

after 9/11 it was Christmas for the Chinese at the old DMV where the disaster aid offices were set up. The Chinese with the help of their many translators, they were pushed through first. Others had to wait and be screamed at & verbally abused, denigrated by the Red Cross and Salvation Army workers.

A Chinese slum lord caused this disaster. Who is going to hold him accountable? He should go to jail because of the fire.

LibertyBoyNYC said...

Chinese problem? What Chinese problem? Who, wha, where'd they go? Nothing to see here!

Anonymous said...

Did anyone hear Wellington Chen, now head of the Chinatown Partnership, regarding this tragedy on the radio this morning?

Hey "little duke" where have you been while these people were living in such squalid conditions?

Too busy representing developers in Chinatown now?

Couldn't get your fill with Willets Point or Flushing Commons?