NEW YORK, April 13 (UPI) -- One apartment building in New York's Chinatown gutted by a deadly fire had more than two dozen open violations for hazardous conditions, officials said.
Late Monday, firefighters recovered the body of a missing 87-year-old man from the top floor of one of the three buildings damaged by the fire, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Officials said firefighters couldn't search the building earlier because of the danger of collapse.
A review of city records indicate the century-old building where the fire originated Sunday was cited for missing smoke detectors, lead paint and other issues that signaled a history of neglect, the Times said. Records listed tenant complaints about lack of heat, exposed wiring and the presence of mold.
The seven-alarm blaze forced the evacuation of hundreds of tenants, leaving about 200 people homeless and dozens of people injured. The fire gutted two buildings and damaged a third.
Investigators were trying to determine what started the fire, but said they didn't suspect arson.
Firefighters said they didn't learn that the 87-year-old man was missing until two women went to Councilwoman Margaret Chin's district office Monday afternoon to try to get information about their father's whereabouts. He lived in one of the gutted buildings with his daughter, who was working when the fire erupted, the Times reported.
Because of the chaotic atmosphere, the daughters didn't realize for a time their father was missing, Chin said, adding that the family had presumed he died.
