“It’s not safe here” | Manhattan Times

Tenants fight back against dangerous living conditions
Story and photos by Gregg McQueen

“We need justice,” says Noel Romero with his wife Alicia.

“We need justice,” says Noel Romero with his wife Alicia.

Noel Romero feels uneasy in his own home.

The Inwood resident, who lives at 3852 Tenth Avenue, is one of numerous tenants at the building who were sickened by gas fumes from a faulty boiler on January 7.

Romero, his wife Alicia, and their two children suffered from headaches and dizziness, he said. Seventeen other building residents were sent to the hospital that day due to effects from inhaling carbon monoxide fumes, while the entire building was evacuated by the Fire Department.

Tenants stood outside for several hours before being allowed back in, Romero said.

According to the city’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the building’s boiler needed to be shut down due to high carbon monoxide readings. Residents said they lacked heat and hot water for several days.

Read more: “It’s not safe here” | Manhattan Times

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