A fire at an “illegal” hotel in Manhattan earlier this month highlighted fire safety issues at similar structures around New York City and has galvanized some city officials’ efforts to shut them down.
An electrical fire February 2 at the Days Hotel took took 60 firefighters about a half-hour to control, according to the New York Daily News (http://nydn.us/AftsEE). Although the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) deemed the incident a minor one, some officials were more worried, citing the hotel’s lack of proper fireproofing and means of escape for the hundreds of people inside.
The state has proposed legislation that would legalize these hotels without requiring to implement tougher fire safety regulations.
The owners have reportedly been issued violations for using permanent single-occupancy rooms as hotel rooms. They’ve also been cited because the building lacks adequate fireproofing between floors and a secondary escape route.
