BY COLIN MIXSON
Dozens of families displaced
by a Sunset Park inferno on
April 3 will have to spend days
waiting to regain access to
their 44th Street home, unsure
of the damage to their apartments,
property, and even their
beloved pets as they wait for
fi refi ghters and building inspectors
to sound the all clear,
according to a resident and
local civic guru.
“I have two cats in there,”
said Cesar Zuniga, a resident of
702 44th St. and the chairman
of Community Board 7. “We’re
just hoping against hope that
they’re OK.”
The fi re broke out on the top
fl oor of the six-story residential
building between Seventh and
Eighth Avenues at 4:46 p.m., and
fi refi ghters stormed the property’s
smoldering pent-house apartments
only to be forced back outside,
as high-winds swept the
fi re towards them, eventually
forcing New York’s Bravest to
battle the blaze from ladders positioned
over the structure beyond
the fi re’s reach, according
to FDNY Chief of Department
John Sudnik.
And while fi refi ghters continued
pouring water into the Sunset
Park building well into April
4, offi cials with FDNY and Department
of Buildings, speaking
at a closed-door meeting April 4,
said they’re expecting another
three to four days of engineering
assessments before they allow
residents back into the building,
according to Zuniga, who as CB7
chair was privy to the private
council. As a result, residents living
on the lower fl oors — fl oors
four through six suffered either
full, or partial collapse — have
no idea which of their possessions
are salvageable and which
have been destroyed in the deluge
of smoke, fi re, and water,
according to the civic leader.
“There’s no possibility
we’re going to get in there to
retrieve personal effects,” said
Zuniga. “It’s hard, people are
very upset.”
In addition to the burning
building, Department of Buildings
COURIER L 4 IFE, APRIL 12–18, 2019 PS
offi cials evacuated three
neighboring structures, and
some 90 people had registered by
April 4 for emergency shelter at
the Sunset Park Recreation Center
on Seventh Avenue, where
various city and relief organizations
including Red Cross, Catholic
Charities, Offi ce of Emergency
Management, and the
Department of Housing Preservation
and Development setup
an ad-hoc relief center in response
to the crisis, according
to David Estrada, director of
the Sunset Park Fifth Avenue
Business Improvement District.
Acting on the direction of local
elected offi cials, including
Councilman Carlos Menchaca,
Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, and
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez,
Estrada created an online
fund-raiser to benefi t the
displaced 44th Street residents
that’s already raised more than
$15,000 by 5:30 p.m. on April 4.
Condo owners living in the
building were required to purchase
homeowner’s insurance,
but renters were not, according
DISPLACED: Residents of a 54-unit, six-story building will have to wait
days before they can return to assess damages to their homes.
Photo by Paul Martinka
to Zuniga, who said some neighbors
may have been wiped out by
the fi re.
“Some people have been coming
up to me very concerned
about the fact they don’t have
renter’s insurance, and they’re
wondering how to become
whole,” he said. “This is where
I’m hoping the community steps
in and works with Councilman
Menchaca’s offi ce to help out.”
S’Park blaze displaces
dozens of residents