By Gus Saltonstall
Multiple people were injured after a couch caught fire early Monday morning in the hallway of an Upper West Side building, an FDNY spokesperson told West Side Rag.
The fire ignited around 12:40 a.m. in the hallway of the eighth floor of 70 Amsterdam Avenue, between 62nd and 63rd streets, which is part of the Amsterdam Houses New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complex, FDNY said.
A total of 78 firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by 1:16 a.m., but seven people were injured, including three who were taken to local hospitals, while four other residents refused medical attention, FDNY added.
The spokesperson did not have specifics on the conditions of any of the people who were injured.
It is unclear as of Monday morning how the couch caught fire, or why there was a couch in the hallway in the first place, FDNY said.
The Monday morning fire comes around 24 hours after a different blaze ignited five blocks away on Saturday night at the Lincoln Towers apartment complex, which resulted in one person being hospitalized, FDNY said.
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I hope that everyone heals quickly. My thoughts go out to the injured. Best, Lily
This is unfortunate, and I’m glad there were no fatalities.
Yet it doesn’t escape notice that if this weren’t a city-run building, every politician would be tripping over themselves to blame and sue the landlord for allowing a sofa to be in a hallway overnight.
Couch begins to smolder, resident moves it into the hallway.
I have a friend who moved from his rent stabilized, private building, in Brooklyn after a resident dragged a smoldering mattress out of his apartment, rang for the elevator, pushed the mattress into the elevator, pressed ‘basement’ and went back into his apartment.
That is a really striking one sentence story of apartment house life (non-civil human behavior theme). Thank you for sharing.
“It is unclear as of Monday morning how the couch caught fire, or why there was a couch in the hallway in the first place, FDNY said.”
NYCHA. Mystery solved,
???
How so?
Was the couch there for days and no one did anything about it? That wouldn’t seem like a NYCHA only problem.
Was the couch there because someone was moving in/out and then someone else caused the fire with an illegal cigarette?
Moving out at 12:40AM? Your need to be contrarian and argumentative exceeds your commonsense.
Boris,
We don’t know why the couch was there, or how long it had been there.
The problem with OPOE’s post is that it simply blames NYCHA.
Should we find out that the couch was there for hours, then yes, It’s a NYCHA management failure.
The attitude that tenants and management don’t do irresponsible things in privately owned apartment buildings is what I’m objecting to.
You cannot normalize insanity.
Exhibit A. ^^^^
The basic problem with NYCHA is there is no accountability for the tenants or the staff. The stink of housing projects is insane, and they all smell the same. Urine in every elevator disgusting.
You’ve surveyed every NYCHA elevator?
A couch in the hallway for days, is a NYCHA managent problem.
OPOE,
That would be a general building management problem, so not specifically NYCHA.
A few years ago, there was a significant fire, which killed people, in a large non-NYCHA building in the Bronx. Building management was at fault because fire stairwell doors didn’t have functioning closers or someone was keeping the doors open. Friend of Adams that landlord.
Do you know how long Adams and the landlord were friends for ?
Years.
It’s all good in da hood.
Thumb down
Quit making me laugh.
“couch caught fire”. Grumble, FDNY (or, if that’s a rewrite, WSR) cut out this passive garbage. Someone set the couch on fire.
Instantaneous combustion in the UWS ? It’s possible.
You don’t know that and neither does The Rag. It’s not their job to speculate. That would be poor journalism. If you prefer unsubstantiated reporting, watch cable news.
So a couch can just burst into flames while sitting there ?
Or a person could’ve been smoking and nodded off. There are many ways fires can get started that don’t involve a person deliberately setting one.
smoking is not allowed in NYCHA buildings
True.
I have walked by furniture stores and have seen couches burst into flames.
It doesn’t matter how it started. There shouldn’t have been a couch in the hallway. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were there for a while so people can have a smoke outside their apartment. Likely that building employees just looked the other way.
You have never been in a NYCHA building have you?
“Understanding Spontaneous Human Combustion
Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) refers to the
phenomenon where a human body allegedly ignites and burns without an external source of ignition. This concept has intrigued people for centuries, with reports dating back to the 14th century. ” –from the Internet . I guess it could happen to a couch too…
Ah yes.
“Understanding Spontaneous Couch Combustion”
Spontaneous Couch combustion (SCC) refers to the
phenomenon where a couch allegedly ignites and burns without an external source of ignition. This concept has intrigued people for centuries, with reports dating back to the earliest furniture stores” –from the Internet .
Thanx for clearing that up.
I guess you never heard of an electrical fire. Look it up. It’s a thing. As are other passive, accidental causes, especially in poorly maintained buildings. I really shouldn’t have to be explaining this.
Leads back to NYCHA.
It was an electric couch then ?
I can’t imagine why it took 78 firefighters to put out a couch fire. It’s likely that’s how many responded but only a much smaller number were involved with the fire.
Are there no building employees that would have noticed the couch in the hallway and taken action to remove it? Thay need to be held responsible and lose their jobs. There are plenty of people who would jump at the opportunity to have such a city job that can take their places.
Responsibility for city employees? Lol,
now that is funny.
The FDNY sends large numbers of firefighters when the fire is in a large building in case they need to evacuate the building.
The city will be sued by all the residents in that building and get 5-10 million an apartment for the drama that couch caused
63rd St. is not the UWS. Maybe Lincoln Square, but not the UWS.
I believe the south boundary of the UWS begins at 59th Street.
Pivot!
Nice “Friends” reference.
I am jealous I did not think of it first.