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A volunteer firefighter was charged with arson and four counts of murder for allegedly setting a fire that killed a mother and three children in Lawrence last month. WCBS 2 describes Caleb Lacey, 19, as a former volunteer firefighter, but Newsday says he was a volunteer with the Lawrence/Cedarhurst Fire Department at the time of the fire. The fire occurred in the stairwell of a building with a laundromat on the first floor and apartments on the second; officials had found traces of accelerant at the scene. Some tenants survived by jumping out of the apartment's windows, but others died—and it was discovered the building's fire escape was removed in 2003. No details were given for a motive.
L.I. Police Arrest Volunteer Firefighter For Setting Fatal Fire
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the cops have busted the block of canal street near pearl paint.
I talked to them and they said that
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WTF? just because he like to play with fire?
Often, firefighters who set fires just like the feeling of playing hero. And if there's no fire to put out, they'll set one.
I'd like to know how the building owner managed to remove the fire escape without anyone noticing. You can't do that with hand tools and without somebody noticing the work in progress. Surely somebody should have see a crane and notified the authorities.
The fire escape was removed in 2003. What isn't clear is whether it was done while other, legal, renovation was being done on the building. But of course renovation, construction, and demolition happen all the time illegally and without proper permits. How often do people notify authorities? I have no idea. And if they did and by the time someone checked it out the fire escape was down... what would be done beyond a violation and fine?
I've only seen fire escapes removed so a building could be renovated but who would forget to put it back up? Maybe the landlord was scrapping it for a little extra money. Crazier and more bizarre things have happened...
But arguably, this is a little different from removing a roof cornice or something. Fire escapes are not ornamentation. They're safety features required by law. A building owner removing one is endangering the lives of his tenants. If I saw someone pulling one down (and you can't miss it since it takes a lot of time and equipment and it's out in the open), you bet I'd call 311 ASAP. Or at least the nearest FDNY station. I don't think a fire chief would sit by and let it go through the bureaucracy while this was happening.