What happened at 135 East 50th Street, Manhattan?

On 11 January 1988 a fire broke out in an apartment at 135 East 50th Street in Manhattan, New York. Tragically the fire claimed the lives of 5 people and injured 17.

The 10 storey building was mixed-use and multi-occupancy, containing 92 apartments. The first two floors were used for commercial space while floors three and 10 were apartments.

The building dated back to the 1920s and was originally classified for tenants’ use only.

Each apartment was equipped with a battery operated smoke alarm and there was an active water sprinkler system in the basement storerooms.

How did the 135 East 50th Street apartment fire start?

The fire reportedly began on the first floor where a faulty electrical extension lead ignited a sofa. The flames quickly spread to combustible items within the room such as wood panelling, books and other soft furnishings.

Upon arrival firefighters were concerned about the conditions within the lobby area - if any doors were opened it could have caused a backdraft.

Unable to extinguish the flames, firefighters erected ladders to the lower floors to rescue those in immediate danger. However, the incident quickly moved from a few apartments to 40. Despite deploying 200 firefighters they were unable to rescue everybody trapped inside.

Two of the four people who died were found in a stairway near the 10th floor - both had been overcome by smoke. A third victim was found in apartment 11 on the 9th floor, also overcome from smoke inhalation. A fourth victim was found in a stairway between floors one and two having suffered severe burns.

What can the industry learn from the 135 East 50th Street apartment fire?

Conditions within the building helped the flames and heat to spread;

• Extensive alterations to the building over the years increased the fuel load, soft finishes and wood panels
• Escape paths were altered, limiting the access and egress including security barriers on windows
• Fire doors that should have been closed were wedged open, spreading heat and smoke into the stairways
• Absence of automatic detection and suppression systems throughout the building allowed fire development into a steady state