Dear Neighbors,
If you follow local news, you will have heard about the catastrophic fire at 775 Riverside Drive on 8th January, which injured over a dozen people and displaced the owners and residents of 131 units in the building. The full extent of the damage to the building is still under evaluation.
Fire marshals believe that the fire began with an overheating toaster and quickly overtook the building by traveling through a dumbwaiter shaft and up under the building’s roof. What began as a small kitchen accident quickly turned into a catastrophe.
This tragedy serves as a reminder to all of us about fire safety–the safe operation of electrical appliances and equipment, never leaving open flames unattended, keeping well-maintained fire extinguishers in our apartments, and assuring that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working throughout the building. It is also imperative that fire escapes remain completely unimpeded, so nothing of any sort should ever be stored on fire escapes. We are all dependent upon one another for diligence in preventing a fire in our building and in educating ourselves about what to do should a fire break out. Please be diligent!
The FDNY has a helpful website with a lot of information about fire safety. You can find it here.
