Probers find recent fix, past trouble at building
A BALKY basement boiler emerged Saturday as the possible cause for a five-alarm fire that killed an FDNY veteran trapped inside a burning Harlem building.
The boiler was repaired in the days before the blaze that killed Firefighter Michael Davidson, leading investigators to question if there was a link to the inferno, said an FDNY source with knowledge of the case.
City records indicate the building at 773 St. Nicholas Ave. was cited a half-dozen times since 2011 for boiler issues, including a still-active complaint from last year for failure to file an annual inspection report.
But fire marshals remain unable to get into the heavily-damaged basement and determine if the boiler ignited the raging blaze in the 98-year-old building.
Davidson, 37, was posthumously promoted to FDNY lieutenant Saturday, two days after his smoke-inhalation death inside the building.
He was on the department promotion list after passing the lieutenant’s exam in 2015.
“He had all the qualities of an officer and more,” said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “Lt. Davidson was a natural-born leader . . . . His promotion is well deserved.”
The fire source indicated there was a possible leak repaired in the boiler, and fire investigators want to ensure the repairs stayed up to code with authorized materials rather than substandard products.
The five-story building was cited for failing to file its boiler inspection report in 2011, 2013, 2014, twice in 2015 and again in February 2017.
And between 2001 and 2009, the city flagged the building for failure to keep the boiler at the standard operating pressure.
Despite the records, landlord Vincent Lampkin, 57, defended the state of his building’s heating system. “It’s winter. It’s cold. We’re always checking to make sure the boiler is serviced,” he said. “We regularly, you know, people want heat. There was a snowstorm. Regularly checking heat, checking hot water. I had a lot of people here. I had to keep the heat and everything maintained everyday.”
Fire marshals are anxious to get into the lower levels of the damaged five-story rowhouse and examine the boiler.
Geovanny Fernandez, Lampkin’s attorney, said inspectors were able to access a small fraction of the basement level, which used to house the jazz club known as St. Nick’s Pub, on Saturday.
The boiler was housed in a cellar below the shuttered club.
“At this point, we should be trying to secure the building and ensure the safety of the neighbors and residents,” he told the Daily News. “The Fire Marshall has said he has no idea what the cause is. For us to be speculating is premature.”
Officials have told Lampkin the charred, hulking facade of the building will need to be demolished.
“Financially, I’m in a little bad shape. I don’t even know if I can pay for this demolition. Not nearly,” Lampkin said.
“You’re talking to a guy with no stability right now. Somebody who’s worn out,” he added. “My heart goes out to the family.”
Davidson, a married father of four small kids, was the first man into the burning basement after Engine Co. 69 arrived on the scene Thursday evening.