Two men were injured when the second-story deck of a home collapsed in Ocean County, authorities said.
Long Beach police responded to the home on Arnold Boulevard at around 1:48 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, the department said in a Facebook post on Monday, July 15. Officers found an unresponsive man had been injured while falling from the collapsed deck.
The man was airlifted to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City Campus. He was listed in stable condition, according to police.
A second man also on the deck had minor injuries. The collapse wasn't considered suspicious and it's believed to have been caused by corrosion.
The township's building department responded to the scene, along with Barnegat Light firefighters and paramedics.
A naked man was plucked from a building ledge by firefighters Tuesday morning as ferocious flames engulfed his Brooklyn apartment, terrifying photos shows.
The vicious blaze broke out in the kitchen of a top-floor apartment at the four-story building at 439 16th St. in the South Slope just before 6:30 a.m., according to fire officials.
FDNY Deputy Assistant John Sarrocco said the flames trapped a man in his 20s in the apartment, which an onlooker described as having bars on its windows, blocking his escape.
“The guy was screaming, ‘Help, help, help!’ He couldn’t get out,” said the witness, a woman who videotaped the dramatic rescue.
Sarrocco added, “He had no way out of the building.
“The fire had cut his path off from the street.”
So the man in the buff made his way to an adjacent apartment, and firefighters shimmied to a window there to reach him, according to the witness and Sarrocco.
“He got out the window next-door where there is no fire escape. He was on the ledge” the woman said in the video.
After the rescue, he was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.John Sarracco, the FDNY Deputy Assistant said, “he had no way out of the building.”
The nude man then wrapped his arms around a smoke-eater before the pair slowly descended the building with only a rope holding them in place.
The man was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, the FDNY said.
The heroic firefighter who saved him, Patrick Gale, later said he was “just doing my job.
Firefighters saved a man from his Brooklyn apartment that caught on fire.
“I was just telling him we were there and we were coming to get him, to just hang on a couple of seconds and I was going to grab him,” firefighter Gale told reporters.
He said the victim was “very grateful” and thankful after the rescue.
“Man, these guys are amazing,” the video-taker said as multiple firefighters broke into windows after the harrowing rescue.
“I can’t believe it. Serious heroes here.”
The fire was under control shortly before 7:30 a.m., and the blaze is under investigation, according to the FDNY.
Keys residents struggling to find another home after balcony collapses at apartment complex
MARATHON, Fla. – Nearly one month after a concrete balcony collapsed at an apartment complex in the Florida Keys, many residents said they are still looking for a place to stay after the building was deemed unsafe by Marathon city officials.
Marty Curry recalled hearing a crunching and creaking sound before the collapse. “I don’t know how I got off the sofa as fast as I did,” she said.
“Of course, our immediate reaction was fear and panic,” said resident Danielle Moorad. “Next thing we knew we had about five, ten minutes to get out.”
According to the city manager, contractors and engineers hired by the property owner discovered the problems in the complex were worse than they thought.
The building, workforce housing owned by the St. Columba Episcopal church, was deemed unsafe in an engineering report after “spalling and cracks were noticed at the balconies.” “The main structural members (beams & columns) require immediate concrete repair,” the report also noted.
In the wake of Surfside, Keys officials determined that multi-story buildings more than 17 years old must undergo an Existing Building Recertification (EBR) every 10 years. The complex was up for an EBR, according to the city manager.
This week, workers put up fencing to keep people from the building, and last Sunday was the last day people could get their things.
Moorad and Curry, along with several others who lived in the complex, said they are struggling to find another home.
“There is just nowhere to live that’s affordable,” Curry said.
“We lost everything. There’s a lot of my things that I just have to give up,” Moorad said. “Any life that I had built for myself coming down here, it seems like it’s been shattered pretty quickly.”
A representative of the St. Columba Episcopal Church, the building owner, said there was no comment at this time and they will be consulting with lawyers.
Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.
Fire is FAST! In less than 30 seconds a small flame can turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house or for it to be engulfed in flames.
Fire is HOT! Heat is more threatening than flames. Room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. Inhaling this super-hot air will scorch your lungs and melt clothes to your skin.
Fire is DARK! Fire starts bright, but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness.
Fire is DEADLY! Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy.
Smoke Alarms
A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
Replace batteries twice a year, unless you are using 10-year lithium batteries.
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement.
Replace the entire smoke alarm unit every 10 years or according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Never disable a smoke alarm while cooking – it can be a deadly mistake.
Audible alarms are available for visually impaired people and smoke alarms with a vibrating pad or flashing light are available for the hearing impaired.
Before a Fire
If you are insured, contact your insurance company for detailed instructions on protecting your property, conducting inventory and contacting fire damage restoration companies.
Create and Practice a Fire Escape Plan
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Remember that every second counts in the event of a fire. Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. Practice your home fire escape plan twice each year. Some tips to consider when preparing this plan include:
Find two ways to get out of each room in the event the primary way is blocked by fire or smoke.
Make sure that windows are not stuck, screens can be taken out quickly and that security bars can be properly opened.
Practice feeling your way out of the house in the dark or with your eyes closed.
Teach children not to hide from firefighters.
If you use a walker or wheelchair, check all exits to be sure you can get through the doorways.
Fire Safety Tips
Make digital copies of valuable documents and records like birth certificates.
Sleep with your bedroom door closed.
Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department for assistance on proper use and maintenance.
Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your residence.
During a Fire
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Drop down to the floor and crawl low, under any smoke to your exit. Heavy smoke and poisonous gases collect first along the ceiling.
Before opening a door, feel the doorknob and door. If either is hot, or if there is smoke coming around the door, leave the door closed and use your second way out.
If you open a door, open it slowly. Be ready to shut it quickly if heavy smoke or fire is present.
If you can’t get to someone needing assistance, leave the home and call 9-1-1 or the fire department. Tell the emergency operator where the person is located.
If pets are trapped inside your home, tell firefighters right away.
If you can’t get out, close the door and cover vents and cracks around doors with cloth or tape to keep smoke out. Call 9-1-1 or your fire department. Say where you are and signal for help at the window with a light-colored cloth or a flashlight.
If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop and roll – stop immediately, drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands. Roll over and over or back and forth until the fire is out. If you or someone else cannot stop, drop and roll, smother the flames with a blanket or towel. Use cool water to treat the burn immediately for three to five minutes. Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Get medical help right away by calling 9-1-1 or the fire department.
After a Fire
Contact your local disaster relief service, such as The Red Cross, if you need temporary housing, food and medicines.
Check with the fire department to make sure your residence is safe to enter.
DO NOT attempt to reconnect utilities yourself. The fire department should make sure that utilities are either safe to use or are disconnected before they leave the site.
Conduct an inventory of damaged property and items. Do not throw away any damaged goods until after you make the inventory of your items.
Begin saving receipts for any money you spend related to fire loss. The receipts may be needed later by the insurance company and for verifying losses claimed on your income tax.
Notify your mortgage company of the fire.
Prevent Home Fires
Home fires can be preventable. The following are simple steps that each of us can take to prevent a tragedy.
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Cooking
Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling food. Turn off the stove if you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time.
Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.
Position barbecue grills at least 10 feet away from siding and deck railings, and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
Keep a fire extinguisher available.
Electrical and Appliance Safety
Frayed wires can cause fires. Replace all worn, old or damaged appliance cords immediately and do not run cords under rugs or furniture.
If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
Immediately shut off, then professionally replace, light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that flicker.
Holiday Safety
Turn off holiday lights at night or when you leave the house.
Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
Keep candles at least 12 inches away from flammable materials or consider using flameless candles.
Water your Christmas tree daily and don’t let it dry out. A dry tree is more flammable.
Make sure your tree is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights, and not blocking an exit.
Don’t overload extension cords and outlets.
Fireplaces and Woodstoves
Inspect and clean woodstove pipes and chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions.
Use a fireplace screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks.
Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the house or going to bed.
Portable Space Heaters
Keep combustible objects at least three feet away from portable heating devices.
Only buy heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Check to make sure the portable heater has a thermostat control mechanism and will switch off automatically if the heater falls over.
Only use crystal clear K-1 kerosene in kerosene heaters. Never overfill it. Use the heater in a well-ventilated room away from curtains and other flammable items.
Keeping Children Safe
Take the mystery out of fire play by teaching children that fire is a tool, not a toy.
Store matches and lighters out of children's reach and sight, preferably in a locked cabinet.
Never leave children unattended near operating stoves or burning candles, even for a short time.
More Fire Prevention Tips
Never use a stove range or oven to heat your home.
Keep combustible and flammable liquids away from heat sources.
Portable generators should NEVER be used indoors and should only be refueled outdoors and in well ventilated areas.
The Escape Plan: Test Your Fire Safety Skills
In this virtual and augmented reality experience, you are racing against the clock to escape from an apartment fire. You will have to navigate through several rooms and make fast decisions to avoid danger. Are you up for the challenge?
An award-winning news site covering the East Village of NYC
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Reader report: Apartment fire at 182 Avenue B
The FDNY responded to a late-night (after 2 a.m.) fire at 182 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street. EVG reader Joe shared these photos from this morning, showing soot and broken glass on the sidewalk... and a burned-up office chair on the fire escape outside the third-floor apartment where the fire started...Officials at the scene blamed a lithium battery from an e-bike. (And per the Citizen app: "Firefighters advise that a lithium battery was involved in the fire.") There weren't reports of any injuries... and no word on the extent — if any — of damage to the ground-floor tenant, Haile Bistro. CBS 2 reported last month that "lithium-ion battery fires are prompting more and more apartment buildings to pull the plug on e-bikes." As NY1 reported yesterday: "The FDNY says 66 fires have been started by lithium-ion batteries, killing five people. Last year, the city saw 216 fires and six deaths related to the batteries." This past week, two people died after a fire on West 190th Street sparked by a lithium battery. Posted by Grieve at 11:42 AMEmail ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestLabels: e-bikes, East Village fires
Tenants in a 16-unit workforce housing complex located at 1655 Overseas Highway in Marathon are still looking for answers after they were ordered to vacate the complex’s four buildings due to a concrete balcony collapse around 4 p.m. on April 15.
According to residents who were home at the time of the collapse, no one was on the balcony at the time it fell, and there were no reported injuries.
Other tenants returned home to find Marathon Fire Rescue and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office personnel as well as city officials informing them of the unsafe buildings. Residents were allowed to collect belongings for the night before vacating the property, with St. Columba Episcopal Church, the building’s owner, providing temporary accommodations and meals for those with nowhere to go.
Though tenants were originally told the hope was to return them to their homes within the next few days, as of Wednesday morning, tenants were still displaced, with no definite date for re-entry.
City of Marathon Building Official Gerard Roussin originally told the Weekly on Saturday that the plan was to temporarily install additional supports on the remaining three balconies in an effort to return tenants to at least 12 of the complex’s units.
But as City Manager George Garrett confirmed on Tuesday afternoon, upon seeing the condition of the building, the contractor hired to install the additional supports, “got up there and said, ‘Holy (expletive). We’re not comfortable with this,’” a sentiment confirmed by an engineer hired by the contractor.
Since the collapse, several contractors have approached the Weekly. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, all expressed their concerns about the structural integrity of the building reaching back well before the balcony came down.
Garrett and St. Columba’s Rev. Deb Maconaughey confirmed that a second engineer has been hired by the church to conduct a complete Existing Building Recertification (EBR) inspection, with results expected by the end of the week.
As required by an ordinance passed by the city in September 2021 and amended in January 2022, the EBR inspections are required for multistory buildings more than 17 years old. They require an owner to hire state-certified engineers to inspect the building’s structure and electrical systems in an effort to prevent tragedies like Miami’s Surfside condominium collapse in June 2021 that resulted in 98 deaths.
Thus far, the inspections in Marathon have already caused the closure of Mariners Place, a 15-unit apartment building on Coco Plum Dr. built in 1978, along with temporary closures of popular eatery Panda House and a multi-unit commercial building on 53rd Street Ocean housing six small businesses, within the last 14 months.
The city began systematically working through Marathon’s buildings from the east to west end of town to avoid flooding contractors with time-sensitive work, but had not yet reached the area of the apartment complex in question. But such a near miss that very well could have ended in tragedy necessitated the accelerated response for a building constructed in 1954.
“We believe that’s the right thing to do, the safest thing to do from a life safety perspective,” Garrett said.
Though it addresses an obvious threat, the inspection does little to ease the concerns of residents who are unsure whether they will have a home to return to, or any accommodations at all, beyond the end of the week.
In an email to tenants on April 18, property manager Josh Mothner informed residents that nonprofit KAIR would pay for motel rooms until the morning of April 21 for tenants without other accommodations. April rent was refunded to all tenants, with the option to withdraw their last month’s rent payments and security deposits required upon move-in.
“We understand some may wish to start finding other options. If you choose to move on to something else, we understand,” the email said, while assuring tenants that they would have first right of refusal to their old units if and when repairs are completed.
“We don’t want to have 16 families who are out on the street. But that said, I think that’s the only thing we can do until we have a full report,” Garrett told the Weekly. “We as a city will do whatever we can to help find other residences, assuming the worst case if it goes that way.”
“We’re going day by day,” said Maconaughey, praising the quick response of city officials, especially Roussin, and community members who sprang into action in the immediate aftermath of the collapse.
“I haven’t slept. … To have your home taken away by something that’s so bizarre is unbelievable. This is real workforce housing that people count on, and we don’t want it to go away.”
Anyone with knowledge of, or an ability to assist with, temporary or long-term housing options for tenants is encouraged to contact the church at 305-743-6412 or stcolumbamarathon.office@gmail.com.
Madison Fire Department personnel secure the structure in the aftermath of a balcony collapse at 544 W. Mifflin St. during the annual Mifflin Street Block Party on Saturday. The balcony collapsed due to a rotted front beam concealed by metal cladding, city officials said Monday.
Madison officials believe a rotted front beam covered by metal cladding 35 years ago likely caused a second-story balcony collapse that injured three revelers during the Mifflin Street Block Party on Saturday.
Officials don’t believe anyone purposely hid rotten wood to avoid detection during a recent inspection.
The pillars and balcony of the duplex at 544 W. Mifflin St. were rebuilt in 1987, the same time new metal siding was applied to the structure, and it’s likely the wood beam was covered with metal cladding for aesthetic reasons at that time, city building inspector Matt Tucker said Monday.
Because the wood was covered, city inspectors doing exterior visual checks of buildings in advance of the annual block party would not have seen any deficiencies, Tucker said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who represents the site, said it’s “highly unlikely” the city will pursue any prosecution for the collapse “unless new information becomes available to Building Inspection.”
But Verveer vowed to explore ways to do more thorough inspections, which currently are limited under a state law passed in 2018. Under the law, city staff are not allowed to do detailed inspections unless invited by tenants or owners.
Building Inspection has been doing detailed studies of the properties in the area, starting last year, Tucker said. “The idea is to try and find un-permitted work that may be occurring during our annual walk, so we can require permits where such work is discovered.”
External checks
On March 17, building inspectors did external visual checks of every porch and balcony of the aging houses in the 400 and 500 blocks of Mifflin Street and the surrounding area to ensure they were safe before Saturday’s party, an event that is not sanctioned by the city but still draws thousands every year.
Inspectors found some issues at various properties, but none at 544 W. Mifflin St., which was built in 1929, Tucker said. The annual “walk-around” found mostly minor issues at other properties and all were resolved before the block party, he said.
Staff can spot a bowed or sagging balcony or porch, but would not have seen the wood rot in the beam because of the metal cladding, Tucker said. The cladding could have caused retention of moisture in the beam, he said.
“Our ability to perform programmed inspections of areas is limited by state law, so our opportunities to discover faults or maintenance issues is equally limited,” Tucker said. But even if staff could have inspected, the failure may have still happened, he said, adding that building codes for balconies can’t be relied upon to ensure an overloaded porch is safe.
“This once-a-year overloading is testing these balconies,” he said. “The tenant and property owner have some responsibility.”
A ‘scary’ collapse
About 11:30 a.m. — barely a half-hour into Saturday’s festivities when more than 10,000 revelers eventually took to the streets — the roughly 60-square-foot, second-story balcony at 544 W. Mifflin St. collapsed sending about a dozen revelers plummeting 15 feet to the ground, city officials said.
The failure of the rotted beam at the front of the balcony created a slide effect for the balcony floor, which never detached from the house, causing some revelers to fall to the ground, Tucker said. Officials still don’t know exactly what was happening on the porch at the moment of collapse, he said.
Three people were injured with two sent to UW Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. The status of a man taken to the hospital could not be confirmed but Verveer said a woman was released and actually returned to the event.
“I can’t overstate how scary this was,” Verveer said. “My greatest fear for this inevitable, unsanctioned event is a collapse of this sort.”
The property is owned by 544 W. Mifflin Street LLC, city Assessor’s Office records show. A representative of the LLC could not be reached.
Birwood Property Management of Madison is listed as the owner’s agent, the records show, and its personnel responded immediately after the collapse on Saturday, Verveer said.
A person answering the phone at Birwood on Monday declined to identify herself and said the company was “not giving out any information” about the balcony collapse at this time. Birwood also did not respond to questions sent by email.
On Monday, the 500 block of the street was quiet with a makeshift set of 2-by-10 boards shoring up the pillars of the balcony at 544 W. Mifflin St. and the balcony floor now fully removed. The building’s tenants were not displaced because firefighters had fortified the pillars on Saturday.
With the temporary measures taken to stabilize the porch, cap the electric for the front porch light, and maintain legal exiting of the dwellings, “we believe the building is safe,” Tucker said. “Permanent repairs are being ordered. Permits must be secured and construction inspected, similar to a repair project.”
Madison Building Inspection is handling a continuing investigation. The Madison Fire and Police departments do not have ongoing investigations into the collapse, agency spokespersons said.
“We are reviewing the facts and pictures, the history of the building from our records, and talking to staff that walked the area,” Tucker said. “We also plan to debrief with the Fire Department, to understand what they know. It’s reasonable to consider this could be done this week, but we will use all the time we need to do a thorough review.”
The Mifflin Street Block Party is a tradition dating back more than 50 years. The party started in 1969 as a "street dance," but it escalated into a three-day riot after police tried to stop it because residents didn’t have a permit. The party has morphed throughout the decades into the giant, messy celebration that it is today.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the description of the first block party in 1969.
According to documents obtained by ABC 6 News, that person, whose name was redacted from the email, wrote to Mayor Jon Mitchell, saying that the doors in the rooming house were nailed shut, there were no hall lights, some smoke alarms were missing, and there was an inadequate fire escape with a trap door.
The New Bedford Fire Department and Building Department then did an inspection and made several recommendations, including installing an automatic sprinkler system.
Following the July 26 notice, the city said the property owner hired an engineer to design the sprinkler system and apply for the necessary city permits.
As for the inspection of the building, the city said the New Bedford Fire Department and Building Department “visually examined the scuttle” on July 27, 2022, and “found it to be clear of obstructions.” The smoke alarms were also fixed.
Fast forward to this year, the city said there were two fire department permits issued for the sprinkler — one was issued on Feb. 23 and the 27. The Building Department issued their permit on March 23 — days before the fire.
“The property owner was working toward installation since being put on notice by the fire department but had not begun installation at the time of the fire,” the city told ABC 6.
On March 28, firefighters encountered heavy flames coming from the Acushnet Avenue rooming house and immediately made five rescues using ground ladders.
Fire Chief Scott Kruger said 20 firefighters were sent into the four-story building to search for victims. Some, he said, were escaping by hanging out of windows or by jumping.
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