U.S Rep. Ritchie Torres unveils federal legislative measures to improve
fi re safety following the Jan. 9 fi re in Fordham Heights.
Photo | Jason Cohen
Gillibrand, Torres unveil safety proposals
Knicks, Chase donate $100K to the Earl Monroe school
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR JAN. 28-FEB. 3, 2022 27
in wake of Fordham Heights fi re
BY JASON COHEN
In response to one of the
deadliest fi res in NYC history,
lawmakers at the federal level
recently unveiled measures that
they hope will prevent future
tragedies.
On Jan. 17, U.S. Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand, U.S. Rep. Ritchie
Torres, New York City Mayor
Eric Adams and offi cials from
the Bronx Fire Safety Task
Force — convened in the wake
of the devastating Jan. 9 Twin
Parks North West fi re that killed
17, including eight children
— visited the site of the Twin
Parks North West fi re where
they announced their intent to
spearhead new federal legislation
to hold federally funded or
regulated multi-family housing
developments accountable for
heating violations.
That blaze in the Fordham
Heights section of the Bronx,
believed to have been started
by a faulty space heater, is the
worst fi re in the borough since
the Happy Land social club arson
fi re in 1990, which claimed
87 lives. Three lawsuits have
already been fi led against the
building’s property owners
Bronx Park Phase III Preservation
— a consortium that includes
Belveron Partners, the
LIHC Investment Group and
The Camber Property Group.
Gillibrand, a Democrat, said
she will work with Torres and
lead the Senate bill that will require
the installation of heat
sensors in certain federally
funded buildings so that heat
levels can be assessed in real
time, prevent future fi re tragedies
and improve fi re safety and
housing quality.
The legislation, if passed,
would enable the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development,
state and local housing
administrators to receive
real-time reports that fl ag when
the level of heating in a unit is
out of compliance with the Housing
Quality Standards heat requirements.
This bill would be
based on a citywide bill Torres
led when he was a member
of the New York City Council,
which requires the NYC Department
of Housing Preservation &
Development to install heat sensors
in the 50 residences with
the most heat and hot water violations.
It also required inspections
at these residences every
two weeks.
“We cannot let a tragedy
like this happen in our communities
ever again,” Gillibrand
said. “My heart is with the Twin
Parks North West community
and the families and friends
who lost a loved one in the fi re.
This is a matter of grave urgency,
and I’m proud to be working
with Congressman Torres to
introduce a bill that will ensure
buildings are in compliance
with all heating requirements
during cold-weather months to
prevent future tragedies.”
Earlier this month, Torres
was joined by members of the
newly formed Bronx Task Force
on Fire Safety as he announced
the federal legislation he plans
on introducing in Congress.
The task force was created to address
fi re safety concerns and
aims to take legislative action
on a city, state and federal level,
and includes Bronx Borough
President Vanessa Gibson, state
Assemblywoman Yudelka Tapia
and City Council members Oswald
Feliz and Pierina Sanchez.
“New York City’s worst fi res
in the last 30 years have all been
in the Bronx and that is not an
accident, that is a consequence
of a chronically neglected housing
stock here in the Bronx,”
Torres said at a separate press
conference on Jan. 14.
In addition to the legislation
he is working on with Gillibrand,
Torres will also separately
introduce three additional
bills in the House in
the coming weeks focusing on
space heats, self-closing doors
and housing quality standard
inspections.
The lawmaker was not
surprised that a faulty space
heater caused the fi re, he said
— more than 80%of home fi rerelated
deaths are caused by
space heaters.
“If the space heater had
shut off at Twin Parks North
West, the fi re would have been
prevented,” he said.
Not only are space heaters
often the root cause of fi res,
but they also display a deeper
issue in housing, Torres said,
referencing landlord mistreatment
of their tenants.
“The space heater is often
a cry for help,” he said. “It’s
time to bring housing code enforcement
to the 21st century.”
Gibson not only supported
the proposed federal legislation,
but also wanted to assure
the victims of the fi re
that elected offi cials are doing
everything they can to help.
Gibson said there is misinformation
fl oating around that
the residents will be forced to
move back home; the city is
working to relocate families
to new homes in the Bronx.
She said right now the
most important thing is making
sure the victims are getting
the food, shelter, supplies
and help they need. According
to Gibson, all of the victims
families have been assured
that their funerals will
be paid for and death certifi -
cates and visas are being expedited
so family members
from other countries can attend
the funerals. Since this
press conference, Bronx rap
artist Cardi B announced she
will pay for the funerals for all
of the victims.
“This devastating fi re that
occurred at Twin Parks has
caused national attention,”
she said. “This fi re was preventable.
We’re going to make
sure every funeral is accommodated.”
The New York Knicks
and JPMorgan Chase announced
on Friday that they
will be partnering with the
Earl Monroe New Renaissance
Basketball School, the
fi rst specialized public high
school with an academic curriculum
entirely designed
around basketball. The partnership
includes a mentorship
series with Knicks and
Chase executives and is also
highlighted by a $100,000 donation
from the two organizations.
The mentorship programming
kicked off on Jan. 20 as
the Knicks and Chase hosted
a group of students from the
school at the Knicks game
against the New Orleans Pelicans
at Madison Square Garden.
Prior to the game, Knicks
legend and current Vice President
of Player Leadership &
Development Allan Houston
was joined by MSG Networks
Knicks Studio Analyst Monica
McNutt to talk to students
about their careers in basketball,
from their playing days
to their current positions.
During the game, several students
and Principal Dr. Kern
Mojica were presented with
the $100,000 donation on the
court.
“The creation of this high
school and the extraordinary
work that NBA legend and
Lead Trustee Earl Monroe,
School Founder Dan Klores,
Principal Mojica and all the
teachers are providing for
these students is simply remarkable,”
said Rich Constable,
executive vice president,
Social Impact, MSG
Entertainment. “We are so
proud to partner with Chase
on this initiative as we know
that this program, as well as
the fi nancial donation, will
have a tremendous impact on
these students and their development.”
Throughout the remainder
of the school year and
leading into next school year,
students from the Earl Monroe
New Renaissance Basketball
School will have several
opportunities to hear from
several Knicks and Chase executives
about their career
paths and engage with them
in a variety of conversations.
This spring, the Knicks will
take over the campus for a
day, delivering basketball
clinics, speaking engagements
and other interactive
opportunities for the students.
“As part of our partnership
with the Knicks and the
communities that we serve,
we’re honored to support Dan
Klores, the Legendary Earl
Monroe and the work and vision
of the Earl Monroe New
Renaissance School to provide
a unique approach to education
inclusive of access to
mental and fi nancial support
beyond traditional classroom
work,” said Frank Nakano,
managing director Sports &
Entertainment Marketing at
JPMorgan Chase.
-Bronx Times
Knicks legend Earl Monroe, far left, students and representatives of the
Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School with former Knick Allan
Houston to receive a $100,000 donation from the Knicks and JPMorgan
Chase. Photo courtesy Leah Capobianco