The fire at Trump Tower that killed a 67-year-old art dealer was accidental and caused by overloaded power strips, the FDNY confirmed on Monday.
The 4-alarm blaze broke out in a 50th floor apartment on April 7, creating a harrowing scene of smoke billowing out from the president’s New York residence. Todd Brassner, a longtime resident of the building and well-respected art dealer, died of smoke inhalation.
There were no smoke detectors in the apartment, according to the FDNY.
According to the Department of Buildings, apartment owners in older buildings like Trump Tower are responsible for ensuring that smoke alarms are working.
The floor also didn’t have a sprinkler system, and was not required to.
New York City requires sprinklers in residential buildings with at least four units constructed after 1999 — or buildings with three or more units if they were built in or after 2008, according to the Department of Buildings. Construction on Trump Tower was finished in 1983, according to The Trump Organization.
The building, which houses the president’s primary, private residence on the top three floors and offices on some of the lower floors, must install sprinklers in all commercial spaces by July 1, 2019, according to the city Department of Buildings.
