NYC tenants displaced by 2023 blaze still without permanent homes
By Carl Campanile
About 250 Queens residents displaced by a horrific 2023 fire are still without permanent homes while an insurance firm drags its feet on paying out claims, according to the enraged tenants and local pols.
“It’s been an absolute bureaucratic nightmare,” said Lauren Koenig, one of the hordes of tenants booted by the five-alarm blaze at their building at 43-09 47th Ave. in Sunnyside in December nearly two years ago.
“Every step of the way has been like the fire,” said Koenig, 43, who lived at the site for 11 years before a construction worker’s blowtorch accidentally lit up the building.
Lauren Koenig speaking at a rally for displaced tenants of a Queens building that caught on fire in 2023.
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Lauren Koenig speaking at a rally for displaced tenants of a Queens building that caught on fire in 2023.
Courtesy of Lauren Koenig
Many of the affected longtime tenants lived in rent-stabilized units in the building and are now paying higher rent elsewhere amid the red tape over their and the building owners’ claims.
Since the fire, the tenants have collectively shelled out $100,000 per month for temporary housing and basic needs, said lawmakers who represent the neighborhood.
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“They are nearly two years into this ordeal – they have waited long enough,” US Rep. Nydia Velázquez, state Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, state Assemblymember Claire Valdez and City Councilwoman Julie Won seethed in an Aug. 14 letter to Chubb insurance company Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg.
“While we understand that processing fire insurance claims can be complex, we are concerned by the number of months it has taken your company to resolve this claim and bring closure to this situation,” the politicians said.
But Chubb, in a response letter, suggested the lawmakers and tenants were barking up the wrong tree.
Apartment with fire damage to ceiling and floor.
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A damaged apartment on the sixth floor of 43-09 47th Avenue in Sunnyside.
Courtesy of Judson and Christa Jones
Damage assessment in a fire-ravaged apartment.
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Workers inside one of the damaged apartments.
Courtesy of Judson and Christa Jones
“While Chubb understands your concerns and sympathizes with the residents, we believe you may have misunderstood the type of insurance Chubb issued to the building owners and managers, EAE Atlantic, 43-09 47th Avenue, LLC and A&E 43-09 47th Avenue MGMT, LLC (collectively “EAE”),” wrote Dan Hawthorne, vice president of compliance for Chubb North America Claims.
He said there are two distinct types of insurance at issue: liability insurance and property insurance.
The veep said another insurer, Greater New York, is responsible for the building’s primary liability coverage, while Chubb is a secondary policy handling the excess claims.
FDNY battling the blaze at the Sunnyside apartment building on Dec. 20, 2023.
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FDNY battling the blaze at the Sunnyside apartment building on Dec. 20, 2023.
Paul Martinka
Fire raging in a brick building; firefighters' ladder is visible.
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Flames coming out of the windows on the top floor of the building.
Paul Martinka
The owner’s property insurance was issued by another insurer, Seneca.
Tenants have already filed a lawsuit against the building’s owner and Prishtina Construction, whose worker used a blowtorch to remove lead paint from a vacant apartment and triggered the fire.
“After GNY fulfills its obligations, Chubb will provide excess liability coverage to EAE and defend EAE against the claims presented by the residents in the Koenig [tenants] suit,” Hawthorne said in the letter, which was obtained by The Post.
“Chubb prides itself on its stellar reputation for paying claims promptly and for treating its claimants fairly.’’
An injured firefighter getting removed from the scene of the fire.
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An injured firefighter getting removed from the scene of the fire.
Paul Martinka
But tenants lawyer Brett Gallaway claimed Chubb was ducking its responsibility.
He said Chubb‘s excess liability insurance was triggered when the primary policy by GNY was tendered in April.
“Chubb has also failed to engage in any good-faith settlement discussion so that our constituents can get back into their homes and move on with their lives,” Gallaway said in a letter to Hawthorne.
A rep for building owner A&E Real Estate said the primary insurer, Seneca, has slowed things down after taking over the rebuilding process, too.
“Every day this building sits empty is a loss for us and a hardship to the families that called it home,” an A&E spokesman said.
Seneca did not immediately respond to a Post request for comment Monday.
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