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Two firefighters killed, four severely hurt and no justice. That was the sentiment expressed by New York City firefighters and their families after the convictions stemming from a 2005 Bronx blaze were overturned Tuesday. The apartment house fire killed FDNY Firefighter John Bellew of Pearl River and Lt. Curtis Meyran of Long Island. They were among six firefighters forced to jump from a fourth-story window, trapped by illegally constructed walls and barriers as flames engulfed the building.
Those walls blocked windows and cut off the fire escape and hallway, creating a death trap for the firefighters. The day of the January blaze was dubbed "Black Sunday" because of the high toll it took on the FDNY. This week, a Bronx judge tossed the criminally negligent homicide convictions of the apartment building owner and former owner, who were found guilty last year in a jury trial. Judge Margaret Clancy ruled there was no evidence that they knew what was going on in the building. Two apartment tenants, who were accused of putting up illegal partitions to carve rooms to sublet, were found not guilty of similar charges in another trial last year.
"I was hoping it was going to be a landmark case and show landlords that they can't get away with this," retired FDNY firefighter Jeffery Cool of Pomona told staff writer Khurram Saeed after Tuesday's court decision. His fall that day left him with 13 broken ribs, a cracked spine and neck, a shattered pelvis and a fractured cranium, and a long battle just to walk again. His frustration after the Bronx ruling was palpable; his worry that the deaths of his fellow firefighters were somehow in vain was searing.
The heroic efforts of these six, and the illegal acts that helped put them at risk, must not be forgotten - notwithstanding the court action. The heartache should serve as important lessons for policy-makers, property-owners and -dwellers, and for building inspectors. Fire codes serve a purpose. Building codes save lives. The rules must be followed and enforced, or people die.
"It's just tremendously disappointing that two of our brothers are dead, four of them have terrible lifelong injuries, and no one is going to be held accountable for this," said FDNY Battalion Chief John Sullivan, a Pearl River resident and close friend of Bellew.
These heroes were dedicated to saving people, even those who would break the law and jeopardize their own and first responders' safety. We are grateful for their bravery, and will continue to repeat the lessons that come from their loss.
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