Self-Closing Door Inspections Beef Up After Bronx Fire Tragedy

NEW YORK CITY — A horrific Bronx blaze that killed 17 people will change how often the city inspects a key fire safety feature.

City Council members passed a bill Thursday that requires proactive inspections of self-closing doors in 300 buildings every year.

When such a door failed to close Jan. 9 in the Twin Parks North West building in Tremont, smoke from a massive fire spread through the building. Seventeen people, including eight children, died as black, choking smoke spread through the building.

The bill sponsored by Council Member Nantasha Williams aims to prevent such door malfunctions. In addition to added inspections, it requires landlords to maintain self-closing doors and to post-fire safety notices.

“Residents deserve to live in buildings that take steps toward security and safety,” she said in a statement. “I’m proud to be the bill sponsor of Int 208-A, which will require landlords to maintain self-closing doors on all residential floors and to post-fire safety notices in residential buildings."

Mayor Eric Adams this week also signed another raft of bills into law that, among other actions, requires faulty self-closing doors to be fixed within 14 days, rather than the 21 days as was the previous city rule.

Another law bans the sale of electric space heaters without automatic shut off capabilities if the heater falls over or overheats. The Twin Parks fire was sparked by a faulty space heater.