The FDNY and the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) have shut down a Halloween haunted house in Hollis.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, they conducted a joint inspection at 211-17 Hollis Ave. and found unsafe conditions inside that posed a danger to the public, as well as first responders.
“The interior was altered and had a very heavy fire load,” FDNY Chief of Fire Prevention Thomas Currao said. “Thank goodness we were alerted to it.”
An officer at Engine Company 304/Ladder Company 162 in Queens Village reported the concerns after noticing the spookhouse at the intersection of 212th Street and Hollis Avenue. The Bureau of Fire Prevention’s Special Investigation Unit and DOB inspectors conducted a walk-through of the residence that had been transformed into “A Haunting in Hollis” and identified numerous violations.
“It is a highly combustible structure. It’s not meant for that type of occupancy,” Currao added. “I look at it from two perspectives — the public that we serve, as well as our responding firefighters. When they are pulling up to a house like that, they’re not expecting that, and that would be very challenging and very dangerous.”
Fire safety inspectors discovered shoddy electrical work, blocked exits and the presence of combustible materials inside the home. DOB responded to an interagency referral from the FDNY and their inspection found that the 2-family home had been illegally converted into a commercial haunted house amusement, with a maze outside the building. Inside the haunted house, DOB found 40 paying customers at the time of the inspection.
Inspectors found three new staircases had been constructed inside and fireproofing material had been removed from the walls at multiple locations and egress routes in the home were blocked. As a result, DOB inspectors issued three violations to the property owners: failure to maintain the building, work without a permit, and occupancy, contrary to city records. The DOB issued a full vacate order for the entire building.
“It’s a great example of the FDNY proactively keeping people safe,” Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said. “We want everyone to enjoy Halloween — it’s a great holiday — but we want them to do it safely. That is a death trap we came upon, and the members notified our Bureau of Fire Prevention and action was taken swiftly to shut it down.”
