Alarm Was Off in Building Where Fire Injured 33 - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog
Even though the alarm wasn't required by code to be installed, once installed, it is REQUIRED to work.
An early-morning blaze in a stationery store led to the evacuation of tenants from a luxury apartment building at 200 East 72nd Street on Thursday, the Fire Department said. Thirty-three people — 19 firefighters and 14 residents — were injured. One firefighter was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, fofficials said. The other injuries were less severe.
Officials said the building’s fire alarm was out of service for repairs at the time of the fire. They said the local fire company, Ladder 16, had issued a violation order for a problem with the alarm system on Jan. 30, and the owner was in the process of fixing the system at the time of the fire. The officials did not know the nature of the original problem on Thursday afternoon. Violation orders are typically written by local fire companies and, because they are handled on a case-by-case basis, there is no fixed deadline for repairs to be made, fire officials said.
The Fire Department said an alarm was not required for the 35-story building, which contains fire-resistant construction materials, although once a fire alarm is installed it is required to be properly maintained.
The department said it received a report of a fire at about 5:10 a.m. Ultimately, 145 firefighters responded to combat the blaze, which was under control at 6:51 a.m., officials said.
The fire was contained to the one store, State News, on the ground floor, the department said. The cause remains under investigation. According to the city’s Finance Department, the building is owned by 72nd Street Associates.
