Yesterday's Fire: Illegal Housing in Two-Family Home

When a at 70 S. Midland Ave.—a two-family house—yesterday morning, a smoke alarm likely saved the lives of approximately 15 people living inside.

Some 50 firefighters responded to the fire and extinguished it in a matter of minutes, preventing any injuries. But many readers and residents are asking: were an illegal number of people living in a duplex?

"It's common," explained Bob Booth, the chief of Nyack's fire department. But it many cases, authorities cannot take action.

"The fire inspector regularly inspects multi-family dwellings, but cannot inspect single or double family residences without cause," Booth said.

"As a fire inspector we can’t just walk into people's houses," added Vincent Fiorentino, Nyack's fire inspector. "What people do in private, that's another story; we can't get in unless there's an emergency."

When firefighters entered the house yesterday morning to stamp out the fire, they found beds from the basement to the attic, Booth said. Booth also noted that in most cases, the residents do not know the rules, and the landlords either do not enforce them or are unaware.

In this case, since there was a fire, the fire inspector can now enter legally and take action.

"I issued an order to remedy for removal of the bed in basement," explained Fiorentino, who noted the bed violated code. "It has been removed."

Correction: A previous story, based on reports from people present at the scene, noted 30 people were living in the home. Vincent Fiorentino, Nyack's fire inspector, later reported 15 was a more accurate number. The story has been updated.