Sunnyside tenants rally for action to repair apartments destroyed in fire

QUEENS (PIX11) – Tenants of a Sunnyside, Queens apartment building destroyed in a fire one year ago chanted "fix our homes!" at a rally Friday night.

Residents of more than 100 apartments at 43-09 47th Avenue were displaced on December 20th, 2023, when a five-alarm fire tore through part of the building. The building is still not inhabitable. The NYC Fire Marshal determined it was started by a contractor illegally using a blow torch inside a vacant apartment to remove paint from a door.

70 of the 109 units are rent-stabilized or rent-regulated. Displaced tenants have been paying $1 monthly for the burned-out apartments to keep their leases active under the law.

Melissa Orlando, a tenant organizer for the building, told PIX 11 News, "If you're on a limited income, there's no place for you to go. You can't go and find a rent-stabilized apartment. It's nearly impossible, so many tenants are facing severe hardship. We're tired, we're frustrated, and we need A&E to take action to repair our homes."

City Councilwoman Julie Won, who represents the area, said, "It's the same throughout all the boroughs when there's a fire. They take as long as possible to try to push these tenants to try to find new homes, so this way, when they leave, so do those rent-stabilized apartments."

Tenant Judson Jones and his wife Krista not only lost their apartment and sentimental possessions, but both of their cats died. Jones said, "We found them under debris, under piles of rubble."

In a statement, A & E Real Estate said: “Every day this building sits empty is a loss for us, and a hardship to the families that called it home. Since the insurance company took complete control of the rebuilding process, it has slowed to a crawl. We are applying every pressure we can to get this process moving and have petitioned the New York Supreme Court to step in and resolve these issues. At the same time, we’ve worked closely with Borough President Donovan Richards to further extend temporary housing, particularly for seniors and people with disabilities affected by the fire.”

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. and A&E Real Estate announced a Friday plan to provide 13 Sunnyside displaced households with an additional six-month temporary housing agreement. This third round of temporary lease agreements will run through July 15, 2025.