A three-alarm fire tore through one Ridgewood apartment building early in January, fueled by the surplus of rubber in the tire shop that operated on the first floor. Attorney Ben Crump, who specializes in both civil rights and personal injury cases, held a press conference on Feb. 17 in front of the building with several of the victims and their families to call attention to the fire, which he and his team stated was preventable and has not received the attention warranted for its severity.
“Many of these families are underrepresented and they have just as much right as any New York citizen to make sure that there’s a careful and very engaging investigation to get to the truth of what really happened here to displace their lives and cause them to suffer injuries,” Crump said. “There are some cases that just shocks your conscience, that you can’t not try to help. I grew up like them, I grew up with a single mother and she struggled to make ends meet, and I’m sure that she had to go places that they could afford that probably wasn’t the safest places.”
Located at 19-05 Flushing Ave., the building had two levels of apartments above the first-floor commercial space where nine families, including 11 children, lived. Residents include Jenny, who was 8 months pregnant at the time, and Jason Vasquez, who was in his apartment with his 12 year old son and six year old daughter. In total, 11 people were injured including several first responders
Vasquez’s son woke him up in the early hours of the weekend morning, claiming he smelled smoke. Vasquez drenched two shirts with water to cover his children’s faces before heading for the stairs, carrying his daughter and guiding his son outside into the below-freezing temperature outdoors.
“I’m usually a deep sleeper, so I was knocked out with my daughter and he woke me up like at 3:30 in the morning like, ‘Dad, this smells like fire,'” Vasquez said. “Once I woke up like the adrenaline kicked in got him up, tried to rush them out the building… The whole hallway was smoky, so I had to pretty much memorize how to get out of the building. I was holding my daughter had my son on my hip and just we slowly just made our way down the steps.”
According to FDNY, the fire began on the ground floor in Ecua Tire Shop and burned rapidly due to the large amount of rubber tires stored within the shop. While no official allegations of code violations were made, Attorney Luigi Izzo stated he saw old pictures online in which a large amount of tires were stacked high around the store and fences.
When asked if he felt unsafe living above the store, Vasquez stated he did, but continued living in the apartment as it was the only affordable option with enough space for him and his three children. Vasquez stated he had never seen the landlord of the building during his time living in the building and has not been able to contact him after requesting his phone number. Vasquez and the other residents have yet to receive their security deposits. As of now, Vasquez is staying with family and working his day job, but has been unable to see his children regularly due to his living situation.
“[Red Cross] helped out tremendously and… if it wasn’t for my family, I wouldn’t know where I would be at mentally. This was just tough mentally to deal with not knowing where I’m going to stay, not being able to see my kids,” Vasquez said.
At the press conference, Crump and co-counsel the Injury Group called for a full investigation into the fire and question if there were potential zoning violations, allowing the tire shop to operate below the residences in the first place, and code violations of fire safety compliance, building maintenance or a lack of timely inspections.
“We want to make sure that not only the owner of the buildings have done everything they were supposed to do, but the commercial leases did everything they were supposed to do. This a serious matter when you think about the potential toxicity and the long-term health effects coming from the fire and the toxins that come from rubber burning,” Crump said.
Counsel is consulting with Fire Investigator Franke Valente, a retired FDNY firefighter, to find the cause of the fire and connecting those affected with specialists, pulmonologists and toxicologists, to find any potential health problems caused by the fire’s unique nature. The Injury Group contacted Crump about the fire, which stood out from the many cases that get brought to him. Crump cited a personal hero, Thurgood Marshall, on how he picks cases: “the greatest impact on the larger society” and to bring “a voice to the voiceless.”
Crump also spoke about his personal friend Rev. Jesse Jackson, noted civil rights activist and close ally to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who died today at the age of 84. Crump worked with Jackson on many notable civil rights cases, such as Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
“Reverend Jesse Jackson was not only a friend, a mentor and an Omega Psi Phi fraternity brother of mine, but he was a giant of a man. He represented civil rights for the United States of America for many of us. He was the standard bearer,” Crump said. “We don’t know how good America can be until we make sure everybody has a voice. That is the legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson. And today, we all pray for his family and offer condolences.”
