Resident dispute leads to tragedy? Survivors of Chinese house fire in Brooklyn believe arsonist

brooklyn (Brooklyn) A fire broke out in Sunset Park on the morning of the 5th, killing six people and injuring at least nine others. Firefighters found two burnt motorcycles at the scene of the fire. The cause of the fire was initially suspected to be related to lithium batteries. However, the couple who lived on the first floor and were rescued from the fire believed that the fire was deliberately set by a young male tenant living on the same floor. The couple reported that the other party had quarreled with residents several times in the month since they moved in, and even cut power lines and caused power outages. He informed this to the landlord and suggested calling the police, but the landlord refused him. Unexpectedly, this appeared to be the beginning of a tragedy.

Chen Degui, 50, is an Amazon (Amazon ) delivery driver, and his 47-year-old wife Lin Qiaoxia are engaged in the hairdressing industry. The two rented the first floor of an apartment from physician Wang Wei and his wife, known as “Mrs. Wang”. The first floor was divided into several rooms. The couple lived in the back bedroom and the other room was decorated as a Buddhist temple. He then rented out the front bedroom to a young man from Fujian.

Lin Qiaoxia said that a woman passed bySugar When 168 website came asking for rent, at first he did not doubt it. However, Chen Degui said that after the man came in, he often deliberately vandalized the house and cut the wires in the house several times, causing the entire apartment to lose power and go dark. They also opened the walls inside and outside the apartment. In addition, the other party also treated the inside and outside of the bedroom as a garbage dump. Garbage accumulated but was never cleaned, causing foul smell to spread everywhere in the house. The couple speculated that the other party may have mental problems.

➤➤➤ 6 people died and 9 were injured in a fire in a Chinese residence in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Complaints were made to him thrice regarding illegal subletting.

Recalling the incident of that day, Chen Degui said that on the day of the fire, the man cut the wires again. He personally argued with the man and eventually a resident who lived on the second floor and was engaged in the decoration industry repaired the wiring. Since similar incidents kept happening one after another, she also contacted the landlord that day and told him to call the police and planned to evict the tenant. However, the landlord asked not to call the police. Lin Qiaoxia also said that after escaping, she heard from neighbors that the man moved into this house because he owed rent on another house. The landlord and his wife did not respond to requests for comment.

Recalling that night, the couple had gone to bed after returning home from work. He woke up in the middle of the night to thick smoke and found a fire burning outside his bedroom. The door could not be opened at all, and the windows were equipped with iron bars. Both could only open the window and call for help. Luckily, after some time the firefighters broke down the door and saved them. Chen Degui’s feet and calves were seriously burned after he stepped on the fire, and his arms were also injured. He is currently being treated in the burn department of Staten Island University Hospital and is not expected to be released from the hospital until next week. Lin Qiaoxia suffered only minor injuries and was released from the hospital the same day after being examined at Maimonides Medical Center.

Chen Degui said that the police went to the hospital to interrogate him, and he also told the police about the destruction of the man in the house, but the police repeatedly asked whether the motorcycle burned at the scene was his. He acknowledged that one of the vehicles was his, but stressed that it was not plugged in and charging at the time of the incident. Apart from Chen Degui, three injured people are being treated in different hospitals, but they are not sure whether this man is among them. It is reported that the man’s current whereabouts are unknown, and the couple does not know the man’s identity.

The families of the victims went to the office of city councilor Zhuang Wenyi on the 6th to ask for assistance. Xie Xiaoqiong, who had just been elected to the state representative, arranged for funeral parlors and other related subsidies. Mr Lin, the son of the couple who died in the fire, is preparing to apply for visas to visit relatives in China. He said his parents came to the United States from Changle about 25 years ago and worked in decoration-related work, and he did not live with his parents. But he said he never heard his parents talking about disputes with residents. “My parents are not very good at expressing. They use actions to express their emotions. They usually give good news but not bad news. They have no idea that they have a dispute with the residents below.”

Mr. Zhu, who lost his wife and daughter in the fire, said he usually works in North Carolina. He brought his wife and daughter from Lianjiang to live in the United States more than a year ago, and his son is in China. He recalled that in the past he had not noticed whether his wife and daughter had any disputes with the tenants below, but they got along well with the residents living on the same floor. All she remembered was that there lived a short, fat man downstairs who often wore a wig, but she had not heard of any physical or mental illness.

He revealed that he is currently arranging a visa for his son who is still in China to come to the United States with the assistance of various representatives and hometown associations. Mr Zhu’s younger brother will arrive on Friday evening. His daughter’s co-worker later recalled that the victim was only 21 years old. Although the two did not see each other every day, the other was a very capable and clean girl. The whole incident left him feeling “a little different”.

Another relative, on condition of anonymity, said that their life was not prosperous, but now they have not only lost their house but also two lives, making the family feel quite helpless. “She (the daughter) is only 21 years old and about to start a wonderful life, and the aunt is only 50 years old. Frankly, no amount of pleading can bring back two lost lives.”