Relatives of Chelsea Fire Victims Dispute Cause

Yesterday, the FDNY said that the Chelsea apartment fire that claimed five lives was likely caused by a child playing with matches or a lighter. Fire officials apparently found remnants of matches or a lighter in the kitchen, "where papers atop it fueled the blaze," according to the Post. Neighbors also said one of the children "played with fire in the past." But Leonel Balbeuna, brother of the mother who died alongside her husband and three children, said, "There's no way they played with matches. If they say it was matches, they need real proof." Tenants of the building, owned by the NYC Housing Authority, are holding an emergency fire meeting, about the building's firetrap conditions--there are no fire escapes, the window guards are difficult to remove, and the layouts are tricky.