Black Sunday Fire

The families of the deceased firefighters and the surviving firefighters brought lawsuits against the owner of a building for allowing the construction of illegal partition walls in the apartment, which blocked access to the fire escape. They also sued the City of New York for failing to provide firefighters with personal safety ropes, which would have enabled the men to safely self-evacuate from the burning building. Five years earlier, the City had removed the personal safety ropes from FDNY gear and never replaced them. $183 Million Verdict – Black Sunday Fire.