The high rise apartment in Trump Tower where a deadly fire sparked on Saturday had no working sprinklers or smoke alarm, according to a new report by CNN.
The news comes from a source in the New York City Fire Deartment, who said that there was no alarm sounding when firefighters arrived at the 50th floor apartment in midtown Manhattan.
Videos by PopCulture.com
In addition, none of the upper floors in the building are outfitted with sprinklers, according to Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. Trump Tower has 58 floors, and President Trump stays in the penthouse whenever he visits New York City. According to the NYC Department of Buildings’ Senior Deputy Press Secretary, Andrew Rudansky, there is no record of a permit application for sprinkler installation in the president’s apartment.
However, the FDNY insider said that there is an “alarm assignment team” present whenever President Trump is in the building, including department members assigned to investigate any report of a fire immediately.
The fire left one man dead and six firefighters injured, according to the department. The man who didn’t make it out was identified as 67-year-old Todd Brassner.
The FDNY was alerted to the fire by a building-wide alarm system in Trump Tower, according to the insider. The system was able to direct them to the exact floor where the fire was burning. However, firefighters said that the system, which is common in high-rise buildings, are not audible throughout the entire building. This is meant to prevent people from evacuating the building all at once, which would clog staircases and leave no room for emergency responders.
The blaze was contained to the 50th floor of the building, which is situated on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Officials confirmed that no members of the Trump family were present at the time of the crisis, according to Nigro.
Before news of Brassner’s death reached President Trump, he tweeted praise for FDNY.
“Fire at Trump Tower is out,” he wrote. “Very confined (well built building). Firemen (and women) did a great job. THANK YOU!”
Brassner left behind $2.5 million in assets in the apartment, according to CNN. The six firefighters are reportedly recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.
