Property owners no relation space heater
Investigation
FDNY investigators determined that the fire was caused by an electric space heater. The device had ignited a mattress after being left to run continuously for a "prolonged period." As of 10 January 2022, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was investigating if the space heater itself had malfunctioned. One resident stated that cold indoor temperatures were an ongoing problem requiring the additional use of space heaters; while the building incurred 3 heating-related complaints in 2021, none were outstanding at the time of the fire. New York City housing laws require that landlords maintain indoor temperatures of at least 68 °F (20 °C) during the day, but a 2017 housing survey estimated that nearly 27% of households in the Fordham neighborhood utilized supplemental heat sources like space heaters.The fire (and initial propagation of smoke) was stoked by the involved unit's door remaining open after its occupants had escaped. While the building did not (nor was it required to) have sprinklers in most areas, it did conform to a 2018 city law requiring self-closing mechanisms on all apartment doors in buildings containing more than three units.According to the property owners, maintenance staff checked the involved unit's self-closing mechanism in July 2021 and found it to be in working order. After the fire, investigators found it inoperable — along with those on several other doors throughout the building. Among the other failed mechanisms was one on a 15th-floor stairwell door; this second open door created a flue effect that rapidly accelerated the spread of heavy smoke throughout the rest of the building.
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