Candle Causes Fire Injuring 9 People in New York City
9 people injured in New York fire caused by unattended candle
In some of the most serious of circumstances, people exhibit heroic behavior. First responders often find themselves in this position, yet concerned family members, friends and neighbors can be thrust into the same role. Not long ago, one New York City man took selfless action to save two small children in a house fire that sent nine to the hospital.
During the very early morning hours, a fire broke out in the Bronx. As the fire spread, a man who only has one arm and one leg rescued his 1-year-old son and an infant relative. He threw the kids to safety from a second-floor balcony as a neighbor caught them. Eventually, the man jumped over the balcony to save himself.
New York firefighters responded to the blaze, which was considered a two-alarm fire. Thankfully, no one died as a result of the fire, but fire department officials say that two people were critically injured.
Although the Bronx man’s bravery is being commended, reports suggest that this fire could have been prevented, raising some premises liability questions. Firefighters say that an unattended candle left burning in the basement of the residential building was the genesis of the fire. Not only that, but the building did not have a smoke alarm, which is certainly cause for concern.
Although certain details are not provided in reports, it will be important to determine who was responsible for leaving the candle burning and making sure that smoke alarms were installed. If this is a rental property, for example, it’s likely that the property manager should have put smoke alarms in the facility.
The full details of any subsequent investigation could help the accident victims determine what their options are. This will become important as they continue to recover physically and financially from the injury caused by the fire.
Source: NBC New York, “Man With One Arm, One Leg Throws Newborn, Toddler to Safety from Burning Bronx Home,” Roseanne Colletti, Oct. 28, 2013