Displaced by Fire, Former Tenants Return for Their Belongings

Barely a month after the March 14 fire that destroyed a Main Street apartment house, some former building tenants were able to get inside the structure on April 20 in an attempt to salvage their personal belongings.

They returned as a group to the place they once called home.

Some were able to retrieve their personal documents – passports, and other forms of identification – that had been stored in safe boxes, said Oscar Michelen, an attorney with Cuomo LLC, a law firm with offices in Mineola and Manhattan. Michelen, who says he is representing former residents from eight of the apartments, noted, “they went back for peace of mind.”

Those who lived on the second floor managed to get some clothes in the hopes that once cleaned, the garments would no longer reek of smoke.

“The furniture was all destroyed,” Michelen said. “The dressers were waterlogged. Some had to break furniture” to try to recover any clothes.

Everything else was unusable – cribs, beds, toys and more. Being inside the building “was very difficult, very emotional for my clients,” Michelen said.

And though the tenants were repaid their security deposits, their plight is far from over, Michelen said. Some are staying with relatives; some are still living in shelters. Some were able to relocate close by; others are a distance away on the Island, but have to travel back to the Port Washington area for work. Some don’t have cars.

“It’s a difficult situation,” Michelen said. “They’re trying to make the best of it.”

Now the clients are pursuing claims against the building's insurance company for losses they suffered. They are putting together a list of what’s gone. Michelen advised the tenants to ask family who may have visited their homes for pictures – and most seem to have one or two photos – so that they can see what was there. Still, many won’t have receipts.

“It was a massive fire,” Michelen said. “It’s an absolute miracle nobody got hurt. It’s lucky it didn’t happen in the dead of night.”

There will be a benefit jam at the Polish Hall at 5 Pulaski Place on May 18, 7-12 p.m. to benefit those affected by the t fire. Proceeds will go to the Our Lady of Fatima Outreach program. Poppa Cold Front will perform rock classics, with guest performers to be announced.  There will be a $25 donation at the door, as well as food and a cash bar.