It has been a month since the deadly space heater-induced apartment fire at the Twins Parks housing complex claimed the lives of 17 people and displaced more than 200 families from a largely Gambian immigrant community in the South Bronx. The incident has turned into a bellwether for the state of public housing and building safety in the United States and elsewhere. Here is an update on the events that have transpired in the four weeks following the deadly blaze.

At least 59 families have been staying in hotels spread out across the Bronx with several different local agencies working to secure long-term solutions. Many of the displaced are reporting challenges and limited options and a lack of genuine concern.

“No one is helping us working class. We don't know where to go, what to do – they keep holding that we have income over our heads,” Vercie Pope told a local news outlet. “One case worker told me pay for it yourself, pay out of pocket for everything. I don't think I have to pay for anything because I did not start this fire.”

The city has also been offering financial assistance and working with displaced those who qualify on a transfer of Section 8 vouchers and says no resident will be forced to return to the building which its building department still says it has no immediate plans for.

Meanwhile, a series of lawsuits on behalf of the victims’ families have been entered or been proposed against a variety of actors with stakes in the building including the city and the holdings companies in charge of the property. Noteworthy civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is leading the efforts with a suit he and a prominent local firm entered on Monday in Bronx Superior Court. The suit alleges among other things that negligence by the defendants led to the wrongful deaths and injuries to surviving family members. 

Many victims of the deadly Bronx fire were just beginning their lives when the catastrophic tragedy STOLE their futures! We HAVE to prevent this kind of horrific situation from happening again, and that starts with a lawsuit to hold those responsible accountable! pic.twitter.com/BxpNe3l47R
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) February 9, 2022

The Crump team’s suit was preceded by a $3 billion class-action claim also brought against the building’s ownership company LIHC Investment Group. They could eventually be joined by similar actions brought against the city for its failure to follow up on a number of complaints against the operation of the building including the self-closing door whose failure is said to have been the principal cause in the record-setting death toll.

On the other side of the system, several legislative efforts have been initiated in an attempt to prevent such a tragedy, which is part of a rash of smaller incidents happening across the northeast in recent winters, from ever occurring again. Representative Ritchie Torres has been instrumental in pushing for heat sensors in federally-subsidized buildings and automatic shut-off switches on landlord-provided space heaters, which are said to have caused the blaze. In addition to the technology-specific legislation, several city council measures have been introduced that would, among other mandates, require the Department of Buildings to follow up on any self-closing door violations within seven days. Laws about minimum building heat requirements and mandatory monthly checks on the mechanical systems. 

Twin Parks West’s residents will have fully renovated apartments: new bathrooms, new kitchen appliances, new flooring and more. This is what the future of public housing looks like and what residents deserve. pic.twitter.com/CDk6CfIiYk
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) January 14, 2019

“When those doors don't close but the laws have been passed, we say where oh where is the penalty for those laws not being enacted and acted upon because we have passed them in the council,"  Speaker Adrienne Adams said at a vigil held Wednesday night.

Currently, about 40 residents have moved back into the building that was only recently considered to be an exemplar of good public design. The city has said it is working to expedite the relocation process. Archinect will keep abreast of any significant updates as they become available. More information about resources concerning the victims of the fire can be found here.