Updated 04/26/2011 07:50 PM
Site Of Fatal Bronx Fire Had Multiple Complaints, City Says
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The Bronx building where a deadly fire broke out early Monday had numerous complaints filed against it, including at least one for illegal subdivisions.
Investigators say Juan Lopez, 36, Christina Garcia, 43, and her son, Christian Garcia, 12, died after flames broke out in their apartment located at 2321 Prospect Avenue in Belmont.
The New York City Fire Department was still investigating the cause Tuesday, but said the fire does not appear suspicious.
The Department of Buildings says complaints have been filed over the past few years for illegal conversions, a lack of secondary exits, and defective electrical wiring. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that DOB inspectors tried on 10 different occasions to get inside, but each time they were denied.
In 2009, fire officials did get in and cleared out a floor of illegal apartments. The FDNY monitored the building for months, but officials were never able to get back inside.
Records show Domingo Cedano owns the building, but residents say he hasn't been seen in months.
NY1 reached out to Cedano but did not get a response.
Even when complaints come into the city, figuring landlords can refuse to let inspectors inside their buildings, which means inspectors have to go to court to get a warrant.
"The Fourth Amendment protects you from illegal search and seizure. And the standards are more difficult than you would think to get a warrant to be able to go in," said Bloomberg.
The mayor promised Tuesday to go after delinquent landlords, specifically those who illegally convert apartments.
"In the end, the real people culpable are landlords who break up apartments in the interest of profits and put people that live there at risk," Bloomberg said. "Yes, the tenants should wake up and try to do something about it. Yes, the buildings department, the fire department can always do more but let's not make any mistake about what's going on here. We should go after the landlords and rest assured the city is going to do that."
Last year, DOB officials issued 1,300 vacate orders where illegal conversions existed. Officials also conducted an undercover sting to get inside suspect properties.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said lawmakers will be holding an oversight hearing on the issue in June.
Quinn said that two-thirds of the time, the city's attempts to gain a warrant are blocked in court.