Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Fire Kills Woman Living In Illegally Converted Brooklyn Basement
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 3, 2013
Modified Dec 3, 2013
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 .
909 57th Street in Brooklyn, via Google Maps
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 3, 2013
Modified Dec 3, 2013
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
An unidentified woman was killed yesterday when fire tore through an illegally converted basement under a Borough Park home. It took 45 minutes for 60 firefighters to extinguish the blaze at 909 57th Street, bringing it under control at 2:10 p.m. "Our units arrived within three minutes and [found] the condition to be a fire in the basement," Deputy Chief William Tanzosh told the Post. "In that bedroom we did find one female who was passed away due to the fire."
The owner of the three-story brick townhouse, Chi Chun Lo, was served with a partial vacate order in December of this year, according to city Department of Buildings records. Lo was cited for an illegal conversion; inspectors found the "residence altered, work without a permit," and, fatefully, "failure to provide an unobstructed exit." The illegal conversion was first documented in 1990.
The fatal fire underscores the potential dangers of illegal conversions; firefighters were reportedly "hampered by window bars on the basement and first floors." In 2011, two men residing in an illegal single-room occupancy apartment in Brooklyn were killed in a fire started by a hot plate. One neighbor remarked, "The walls weren't fixed. There was no fire escape. I've been in there and it was nasty. There was no facility to wash. There was nowhere to cook."
Tagged
basement fire
borough park
brooklyn
fire
SRO
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds chilly temps, NWS says
Friday expect scattered showers and thunder, cooler temperatures Saturday, and a sunny Sunday.
By
Monica Melton
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 10:22 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Winning an affordable housing lottery is great unless it's not
Because the apartment might be very small and not that affordable, here are your early links: Congestion pricing is paying for new subway elevators, G.W. Bridge has a new pedestrian walkway, not so many airplane barf bags and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Winning an affordable housing lottery is great unless it's not
Because the apartment might be very small and not that affordable, here are your early links: Congestion pricing is paying for new subway elevators, G.W. Bridge has a new pedestrian walkway, not so many airplane barf bags and more.
By
James Ramsay
Mamdani and 100+ NY officials urge parking lot owners to ban ICE
By
Arya Sundaram
NYC ambulance response times have grown 41% as life-threatening calls rise
By
Ben Feuerherd
Federal judge tosses Trump administration lawsuit challenging NYC sanctuary laws
By
Phil Corso
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 .