Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
A "Collyer Mansion" Situation
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 5, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 5, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
On Monday, there was a terrible three-alarm fire in a Queens apartment that seriously injured its tenant, Vycheslav Nekrasov. Nekrasov's apartment was so full of odds and ends (a super called it "a warehouse of junk") that firefighters weren't able to immediately open the door, so they cut a hole from the upstairs apartment floor to get in. Nekrasov's neighbors had complained about the smell coming from the apartment ("like a dead body") repeatedly and apparently the Health Department was supposed to visit today! Instead, a couple residents and firefithers were injured and the apartment is burned out, with debris falling into another neighboring apartment whose wall was cut down to get to the fire.
So, today, the NY Times looks at what the Fire Department calls these crap-filled apartments. They are called "Collyer Mansions" after the infamous Collyer brothers and their Fifth Avenue home.
Thomas Von Essen, a former New York City fire commissioner, said that the term communicated crucial information to new firefighters. "What's dangerous is that all this stuff could fall down," he said. "Or it could weaken the floors, and when you put water on it you could have a collapse. You could fall into it and then you have a hard time getting out. You could get caught behind it; your mask could get tangled. I could guarantee you that people have gotten hurt in those kinds of situations."
On the West Coast, they apparently call those situations "Habitrail houses" and an EMT tells the Times he sees lots of Collyer Mansions while on the job.
As for the Collyer brothers, they lived at the turn of the 20th century. According to Wikipedia, they collected tons of junk in their brownstone, and in 1947, the police found brother Homer dead and then found brother Langley's body weeks later, trapped under debris. Langley had taken care of Homer, so when Langley died, Homer starved to death. Franz Lidz wrote a book about them, Ghostly Men, and unsurprisingly, it's bundled with Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding on Amazon.
Tagged
As
books
city
death
fifth avenue
fire
fire department
health
health department
new york
new york city
News: NYC
ny times
On Monday
people
police
queens
smell
The Police
the smell
west coast
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
The fallout from an electrical fire, among other safety and maintenance concerns, has sparked anger inside the 40-story tower known as The Greenpoint.
By
David Brand
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
The announcement comes as Mamdani faces mounting criticism from the left for his approach to policing.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
The announcement comes as Mamdani faces mounting criticism from the left for his approach to policing.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Company that won $23M NYPD building contract was investigated by LI watchdog
By
Ben Feuerherd
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
By
Michael Sol Warren
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
By
Giulia Heyward
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .