Illegal Apartments Thrive in Queens
Illegal Apartments are Potential Death Threats (Queens Courier)
From the barrio to the tree-lined streets of upscale neighborhoods all over Queens, thousands of people live in danger. They live in illegal apartments.
In the worst cases, unscrupulous building owners partition off houses into multiple apartments – sometimes as many as eight units in a two-story structure, even cramming living spaces in the attic and cellar.
Frequently, there is only a single exit for as many as four rooms – a narrow hallway that can be blocked by fire or smoke. This was the case in a November 7 fire in Woodside that claimed the lives of three Bangladeshi immigrants and left three, including the building owner, with serious injuries.
http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2009/11/24/news/top_stories/doc4b0c3c0436888596441752.txt
