Residents of two dozen apartments at 1204 Shakespeare Avenue in the Bronx were forced to leave when the Fire Department discovered construction debris blocking two fire exits for the building. One resident complained to WCBS 2, "This building is so messed up. They’re fixing stuff, but things don’t really get fixed correctly."
The FDNY was initially at the High Bridge section building to check on a gas leak, but soon discovered the blocked exits, which could turn the building into a death trap if left alone. Apparently a construction crew blocked the exits that residents in the rear of the building would use in the case of a fire. Displaced residents have been moved into Red Cross shelters.
Two violations were issued to the building's owners. According to the Department of Buildings websites, there have been past complaints of non-working elevators and people being stuck in them as well as one from six months about the first floor collapsing into the basement and one from yesterday about illegal construction affecting the stability of the building.
