The city’s Department of Buildings closed complaints about alleged illegal conversions at the Brooklyn row house where a fire killed six people early Thursday without ever gaining access to the building, city records show.
City Department of Buildings records show complaints were filed in 2025 alleging that the basement level was illegally being converted into an apartment and that construction was under way without permits. The two apartments on the first and second floors had also been illegally divided into three units, the complaints alleged. Inspectors visited several times, most recently in August, but were unable to gain access; door knocks and posted notices went unanswered, and the department closed the complaints without investigating further. Closing a complaint after multiple unsuccessful entry attempts is standard protocol, according to a 2025 city audit of the department's enforcement actions, and building inspectors do not have the legal authority to force entry, though they can seek a warrant depending on the severity of the complaint.
Property records show the row house was erected in 1915 and was sold a few years ago to a company called One Golden Sunshine Corp.
The fire ignited at about 1.40am Thursday on 58th Street in Sunset Park, a densely populated working-class neighbourhood in southwestern Brooklyn, and drew more than 200 first responders. Kevin Woods, the department's chief of fire operations, said they were met with "fire on every floor" and "fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door." Fire marshals were still investigating what caused the blaze.
Woods said firefighters rescued four people, using a rear entrance to reach people trapped behind window bars, and that a staircase partially collapsed inside the building. The fire spread to one adjacent row house, though damage could be seen on buildings to both sides. It was brought under control in about three hours, and eight displaced people were taken to hotels. The building was part of a block of 25 wood-frame homes.
The department said nine injured people were expected to survive, including three firefighters and two police officers with minor injuries. Earlier reports put the number of injured at seven. Four people died at the scene and two with critical injuries were pronounced dead at the hospital. No names have been released.
A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene, but it was unknown whether it was related to the fire, the department said. Fire officials said more than 400 fires in the city have been linked to lithium-ion batteries this year, leading to at least six deaths and more than 70 injuries. Last week, an e-bike battery fire killed four people in the Bronx.
"This was a devastating fire," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference. "It will take a long time for this neighbourhood to mourn the neighbours they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The six deaths are an unusually high toll for a home fire, and the building had outstanding complaints that inspectors never examined from inside.
- The blaze adds to a year in which more than 400 city fires have been linked to lithium-ion batteries, a hazard the mayor says the city is working to address.
- The records raise questions about how the Department of Buildings enforces complaints when owners keep inspectors out.
Background
The two-storey row house on 58th Street was built in 1915 and sold in recent years to a company called One Golden Sunshine Corp. Complaints filed in 2025 alleged the basement was being illegally converted into an apartment, that construction was under way without permits, and that the two apartments had been illegally divided into three units. Fire officials say lithium-ion battery fires have become a recurring citywide problem this year.
Key Perspectives
- Kevin Woods, chief of fire operations: described firefighters being met with "fire on every floor," flames blowing out every window, and four people rescued from behind window bars.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani: called the fire "devastating," said the neighbourhood would take a long time to mourn and recover, and said the city is investigating the cause and examining the rise in e-bike fires.
- Fire department: says the cause remains under investigation and it is unknown whether the lithium-ion battery found at the scene was related to the fire.
What to Watch
- The fire marshals' determination of the cause, including whether the battery found at the scene was involved.
- Whether the Department of Buildings reopens or reviews the closed complaints about the building.
- Any city action on e-bike and lithium-ion battery safety, which the mayor said the city is examining.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe building department closed complaints about the Brooklyn row house without gaining access.STV News: “City inspectors visited several times — most recently in August — but were unable to gain access, according to department records. Door knocks and posted notices went unanswered, and the department ultimately closed the complaints without investigating further.”
- SupportedThe blaze killed six people, and its cause was still under investigation.STV News: “A fire barreled through a multifamily row house in New York early Thursday, killing six people and injuring nine others”
- SupportedNine people were injured in the blaze.STV News: “A fire barreled through a multifamily row house in New York early Thursday, killing six people and injuring nine others”
- SupportedThe fire ignited at about 1.40am Thursday on 58th Street in Brooklyn.World news | The Guardian: “Flames tore through a two-storey house after the fire ignited on 58th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue at about 1.40am on Thursday”
- SupportedComplaints alleged an illegal basement apartment conversion, construction without permits, and that two upper-floor apartments had been divided into three units.STV News: “Complaints filed with the city’s Department of Buildings in 2025 alleged that the basement level was illegally being converted into an apartment, and construction was under way without permits. The two apartments on the first and second floors also had been illegally divided into three units, the complaints alleged.”
- SupportedWoods said firefighters were met with “fire on every floor” and “fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door.”STV News: “Kevin Woods, the department’s chief of fire operations, said they were met with “fire on every floor.” The severely charred building had “fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door,” he said at a news conference.”
- SupportedMamdani said, “This was a devastating fire,” and said it would take a long time for the neighbourhood to mourn and recover.STV News: ““This was a devastating fire,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the news conference. “It will take a long time for this neighbourhood to mourn the neighbours they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief.””
- Partly supportedProperty records show the row house was built in 1915 and sold a few years ago to One Golden Sunshine Corp.STV News: “Property records show that the Brooklyn row house was erected in 1915. A family sold it a few years ago to a company called One Golden Sunshine Corp., according to city records.”
- Partly supportedThe department said the nine injured people were expected to survive.STV News: “The nine injured people were expected to survive, including three firefighters and two police officers who had minor injuries.”
- SupportedEarlier reports put the injury toll at seven.World news | The Guardian: “Six people died in a fire that roared through a residential home in New York City early on Thursday and seven others were injured”
- SupportedA lithium-ion battery was found, but it was not known whether it was related to the fire.STV News: “A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene, but it was unknown whether it was related to the fire, the department said.”
- SupportedFire officials said more than 400 city fires had been linked to lithium-ion batteries that year, causing at least six deaths and more than 70 injuries.STV News: “It is among more than 400 fires in the city that have been linked to lithium-ion batteries this year, leading to at least six deaths and more than 70 injuries, fire officials said.”