More than four years after a three-alarm blaze ripped through their Sunset Park building, tenants are still locked out of their rent-stabilized apartments and living in limbo. Repairs have dragged, court orders have come and gone, and families say they still have no real answer on when – or whether – they get to go home.
The Blaze And The Vacate Order
The fire on May 2, 2022 was traced by fire marshals to lithium-ion batteries stored inside a ground-floor business, where firefighters later hauled out dozens of charred e-bikes. Flames tore through the mixed-use property at 5401 7th Avenue, triggering a three-alarm response. The heat and smoke badly damaged the upstairs apartments and left them unsafe, displacing residents, according to amNewYork.
A Long Court Fight Over Repairs
Not long after the flames were out, the legal aid group TakeRoot Justice went to housing court on behalf of tenants, demanding access to their apartments, critical repairs and the restoration…..