Bronx residents who were forced into homeless shelters after a blaze tore through their apartment building claim their landlord still hasn’t repaired their fire-damaged units nearly six months later, according to a lawsuit.
A group of 12 residents who lived in rent-stabilized apartments — including seven who were displaced to shelters — are suing the owners of 2490 Davidson Avenue in Fordham Manor, where a fire broke out on Sept. 13, 2022.
The city issued orders to vacate the units following the blaze, and the residents want their landlords to conduct the necessary repairs to make it safe to move back in, according to their suit, filed in housing court last month.
The Legal Aid Society, which filed the suit on behalf of the residents, claims in the filing that the owners neglected hazardous conditions at the building, which currently faces 260 housing code violations.
The alleged neglect led many families to get trapped inside the burning building because of an emergency door being locked closed, the filing claims.
“Many, if not all, suffered some degree of smoke inhalation,” the suit said of the residents. “Petitioners thought they would be unable to escape and would perish in the fire.”
It adds: “This harrowing experience, which was caused by respondents’ gross negligence, traumatized those families, the effects of which are still being felt today.”
One of the trapped tenants even said it took 10 men — including firefighters — to pry open the door, according to the court papers.
In the common areas of the buildings, the owners have failed to repaint the hallways, fix a broken intercom, maintain the boiler, fix the exterior wall and repair defective plaster in the hallways, the suit claims.
And the apartments of the displaced residents need a slew of repairs in order for them to be safe enough to move back into, the court papers say.
One 18-year resident, Yolanda Vicente, has been living in a shelter since the fire. She claims the landlords regularly ignored much-needed repairs including fixing the boiler and removing mold.
“When the fire happened last September, our apartment was completely damaged and we lost everything,” Vicente said in a statement issued by the Legal Aid Society on Tuesday.
She claims that the landlords promised the displaced residents could move back in within six months. But she saw her unit in January and no repairs had yet begun.
“Living in the shelter has been very hard on my family, and I am frustrated that the renovation work has not even started and the landlord has not provided or offered any other assistance to us,” Vincente said.
The building landed in the Housing Preservation and Development’s Alternative Enforcement Program for severely distressed buildings in 2014 where it has stayed since.
The HPD has separately filed suit against the landlords for failing to provide basic amenities including heat and hot water and for failing to remediate lead paint, court papers show.
“The landlords’ failure to make repairs at 2490 Davidson Ave. has not only impacted our clients’ quality of life, but literally put their lives at risk and caused irreparable emotional harm,” Legal Aid lawyer Jason Hadley said in a statement. “We now seek a court order to force the landlords to expedite needed repairs, allowing them to return back to their homes, and demonstrate to the court that they are capable of properly maintaining the building going forward.”
Owners Shkurt Dedvukaj, Paul Dedvukaj, Creston Real Estate Advisors Inc and 2490 Properties LLC are being sued for unspecified damages. Paul Dedvukaj and Creston didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Shkrut Dedvukaj and 2490 Properties couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
