Victim Of Queens Fire Files Notice Of Claim
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
A victim of a Queens fire that killed three people plans to sue the city.
Shafj Ahammed filed a notice of claim today for unspecified damages.
He says he's been depressed, because he could not save one of his neighbors.
The fire broke out at a house on 65th Street in Woodside in November. The Uniformed Firefighters Association says precious minutes were lost when firefighters were sent to the wrong address.
Ahammed's lawyer claims the city did nothing to address the fact that the house was illegally converted.
"The premises had been converted to a five-family dwelling and the City of New York had investigated it, not once, but twice, and found the illegal dwellings and did nothing,” said attorney Herb Subin.
In response, the city's Law Department said, "We will review the claim thoroughly when we receive it. The recent fire was tragic and appears to be an unfortunate example of the risks of illegal building conversions."
Officials with the Buildings Department say inspectors found no evidence of an illegal conversion when they visited the property mostly recently in 2004.