Sunnyside Fire: Update
Twenty-six Sunnyside residents have been living in hotel rooms for the past few days after their apartments were destroyed by a fire over the weekend.
The blaze, which began on the second floor of a residential building at 45-14 42nd St. just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, tore through three floors of the facility before firefighters were able to contain it.
No one was hurt, according to the FDNY, but a police officer was treated for smoke inhalation. Parts of the building were so badly damaged that several families couldn’t go back to their flats.
The Red Cross provided displaced residents with shelter for three nights, gave them some spending money and has now referred them to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
HPD is offering free temporary housing to those who need it and also promised to assist in finding new permanent residences, if the charred Sunnyside apartments aren’t fixed.
HPD spokesman Eric Bederman said only three of the displaced households have registered with the agency but added than anyone still in need of a place to stay can sign up. Individuals can register at HPD’s headquarters, located at 100 Gold Street in Manhattan.
