Fire officials have confirmed that sprinklers were not installed in the upper floors of Manhattan’s Trump Tower, where a fire killed one resident yesterday.
President Trump, who owns the tower, famously objected to legislation in the 1990s which proposed many existing and all high-rises must require sprinklers on every floor. The proposal came in 1999, after deadly fires in two New York high-rises.
Alongside many real estate moguls, Trump was resistant to the changes, believing that sprinklers were unnecessary in a fireproof building such as the tower. He also cited an additional $4 per square foot cost to each apartment. Trump Tower was ultimately made exempt from the legislation.
The news comes after Trump’s tweet yesterday, in which he congratulated the “firemen (and women)” and also the “well built building” for containing the fire. As of writing, he has not publicly acknowledged the death of resident Todd Brassner, 76.
Fire at Trump Tower is out. Very confined (well built building). Firemen (and women) did a great job. THANK YOU!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2018
On Saturday evening, around 6pm, Brassner was trapped in his 50th floor apartment before being rescued in critical condition by firefighters, though shortly died at Mount Sinai Hospital. Six firefighters were also injured in their successful containment of the fire, which did not spread beyond the 50th floor.
There was no call to evacuate, which fire officials have confirmed was the safest move for residents. However, The New York Times has reported that one resident, Dennis Shields, received a text message from his mate/Trump’s lawyer Michael D. Cohen, telling him to “get out ASAP”.
The building had a minor fire earlier this year on January 8 in one of the building’s cooling towers. Two civilians suffered minor injuries.
The New York Times have also published a something of an obituary of Brassner. An art dealer who had once rubbed shoulders with Warhol, Brassner’s later years were plagued with a bevy of drug and health problems, leading him to declare bankruptcy in 2015. Brassner had struggled to sell his 50th floor apartment – valued at the time of bankruptcy at USD $2,500,000 (AUD $3,251,250) – in the wake of the 2016 election.
Officials have confirmed that both Brassner’s cause of death and the investigation into the fire is ongoing.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
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