2 blazes in 2 days kill 7 in NYC; 4 are children

A school bus driver and his nephew died when a fire ravaged their apartment, a day after the city's deadliest blaze in nearly two years killed a couple and three children.

The latest fatal fire Sunday came as the lone survivor of Saturday's fire, a 10-year-old boy, remained hospitalized with critical injuries. His family's apartment became a deathtrap in just minutes, firefighters said.

Authorities were investigating the causes of both fires, which erupted on a warm autumn weekend.

All seven victims died of smoke inhalation, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.

Sunday's blaze was reported shortly after midnight in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. The fire killed Shawn Monderson, 33, and Cemioni Fraser, 12, the medical examiner's office said. Relatives said the two moved into the row-house apartment just last week.

Saturday's fire started at about 6:30 a.m. in the kitchen of the family's home. Thick, black smoke quickly filled the apartment and kept the six from escaping through the front door, fire officials said. There was no fire escape.

The Fire Department said the apartment's smoke detector had been unplugged and its battery removed. The smoke detector was inspected six months ago and was working, according to New York City Housing Authority officials.

Firefighters worked quickly, shattering windows and extinguishing flames about 45 minutes after the blaze began. Some wept as they carried out the lifeless bodies.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/ap_on_re_us/manhattan_blaze;_ylt=ApWXu5ZitFBbebBP41kp7SOs0NUE

Prayers for them and their families. May the victims RIP.

Living in a NYC apartment this is one of my biggest fears. You can do everything to make sure you don't start a fire but have no control over the other 500 people in your building. An apt on the top floor of the apt building next door to us (the buildings are connected) caught on fire a few months ago and we had to evacuate in case it spread. I stood out on the sidewalk for two hours with my three scared cats. THAT is probably my biggest fear - a fire will break out while I am at work and my cats will be stuck in there with no way out. I have the emergency notice on my door that I have cats in the apt but by the time the firemen started worrying about pets it would be too late.

The article stated their was no fire escape on one of the buildings....surely that is a major violation of city codes.
May these latest victims RIP.

gaia227 said:

Living in a NYC apartment this is one of my biggest fears. You can do everything to make sure you don't start a fire but have no control over the other 500 people in your building. An apt on the top floor of the apt building next door to us (the buildings are connected) caught on fire a few months ago and we had to evacuate in case it spread. I stood out on the sidewalk for two hours with my three scared cats. THAT is probably my biggest fear - a fire will break out while I am at work and my cats will be stuck in there with no way out. I have the emergency notice on my door that I have cats in the apt but by the time the firemen started worrying about pets it would be too late.

The article stated their was no fire escape on one of the buildings....surely that is a major violation of city codes.
May these latest victims RIP.

Click to expand...

I agree with you, gaia! Reading this article, what struck me was the first fire was caused by a child playing with matches and the second fire by a candle. This seems so preventable.

The fire next door to us was caused by an unattended candle. The people who lived there were not even home when the fire started.

So Scary.

I used to live down the hall from a woman who was nuts. About once a month she would lock herself in the apt and turn all the burners up on the gas stove filling her apt and the entire first floor with gas. We would have to evactuate all the time.

gaia227 said:

Living in a NYC apartment this is one of my biggest fears. You can do everything to make sure you don't start a fire but have no control over the other 500 people in your building. An apt on the top floor of the apt building next door to us (the buildings are connected) caught on fire a few months ago and we had to evacuate in case it spread. I stood out on the sidewalk for two hours with my three scared cats. THAT is probably my biggest fear - a fire will break out while I am at work and my cats will be stuck in there with no way out. I have the emergency notice on my door that I have cats in the apt but by the time the firemen started worrying about pets it would be too late.

The article stated their was no fire escape on one of the buildings....surely that is a major violation of city codes.
May these latest victims RIP.

Click to expand...

They were actually living in a public housing project, so I guess it must not be a violation though it probably should be IMO.

I had never really thought of it before but really none of the project buildings that I've seen in NYC seem to have fire escapes? It sure doesn't look like it at least, and I doubt the apartments have more than one entrance door.

lorelei said:

They were actually living in a public housing project, so I guess it must not be a violation though it probably should be IMO.

I had never really thought of it before but really none of the project buildings that I've seen in NYC seem to have fire escapes? It sure doesn't look like it at least, and I doubt the apartments have more than one entrance door.

Click to expand...

The city was just there to inspect the smoke alarm 6 months ago, so they would have been aware of the lack of fire escape, I'd think.

How horrible for these people. My father was a fireman for 30 years and IMO those housing project should have fire escapes.

Hmmmm, now that I think about it I don't remember ever seeing fire escapes on the buildings in apt. projects. They don't look at all like what you normally think of when you think of a NYC apt with the stairs zig-zagging up the front or back of the buildings.

It is hard to believe that buildings in the projects don't have to have fire escapes. What? Since they are poor they are not worthy of the same safety measures other people are?

It gives me some sense of security that we have direct access to the fire escape from our kitchen window.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn. We lived 2 stories above a meat market. A bar and Chinese resturant were on either side. There was a fire escape outside our kitchen window which was the back of the apartment. I used to like to go out and watch the subways go by. Funny thing was the fire escape had no stairs and connected only to the neigbor's apartment. I wonder how safe that was?

How terribly sad. Thanks for the link.