An elderly woman critically injured in a Washington Heights electrical fire has died, with the FDNY saying that the blaze was sparked by at least one space heater that was plugged into an extension cord.
The fire broke out in the days and weeks following multiple complaints about a lack of heat in the building on Bennett Ave. near W. 184th St., including a 311 complaint filed by a tenant on Jan. 4, three days before the deadly blaze.
Firefighters responding to the fire on Jan. 7 pulled the critically injured 88-year-old woman from her fifth-floor apartment around 12:20 a.m., officials said.
She was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she later died. Her name was not immediately released.
FDNY fire marshals determined the fire was sparked by numerous space heaters that were heating the apartment, which were plugged into extension cords along with other appliances.
“Space heaters should never be used with extension cords and should always be plugged directly into a wall outlet,” the FDNY warned in a post on X. “Large appliances can generate increased heat in an extension cord, causing it to overheat, melt or ignite.”
On Jan. 4, a tenant filed a 311 complaint for lack of heat in their apartment, records show. The complaint was closed the same day as the fire, when the Department of Housing Preservation and Development determined the heat was back on.
In December, three separate complaints were filed with 311, claiming the whole building was without heat.
