Spring Valley fatal fire: Inspectors find hundreds of code violations from landlord
SPRING VALLEY − Rockland County building inspectors have found more than 250 fire and building code violations at 10 properties owned by the landlord of 118 S. Lake St., where a fire killed five people on March 4.
The fire − which took the lives of two children, ages 4 and 13, and three adults − spurred the inspections of properties owned by landlord Jacob Jeremias.
Tenants were packed into 118 Lake St., a wood-framed, two-family house. An investigation by village police has determined 18 people lived in the house, nine on each floor, said Det. Philip Fantasia.
"This investigation is still ongoing, and we are working tirelessly to ensure all aspects of this investigation are conducted," Fantasia said.
The Rockland District Attorney's Office has been kept informed on the investigation, Fantasia said, declining further comment. District Attorney Thomas Walsh and his spokespeople have declined comment. The office usually doesn't comment on investigations or whether one is being conducted.
Fantasia said the fire, considered accidental, ignited in the first-floor kitchen. He referred questions to the Sheriff's Office fire investigation unit. Sheriff Louis Falco has said an electrical issue started the fire. County Executive Ed Day said fire investigators focused on a faulty electrical outlet.
Fatal Spring Valley fire leads to inspections: Violations found at next-door houses
Spring Valley police: Officers recount harrowing moments from Lake Street fire
The Lake Street fire led to inspections of several other nearby houses owned by Jeremias, who owns up to 12 rental properties in the village, according to the Spring Valley tax roll for 2022. His holdings include properties on Lake Street, two on Ohio Avenue, and single properties on Cole Avenue, Sherwood Avenue and Jay Street.
The Spring Valley Board of Trustees has allowed Jeremias and other property owners to subdivide their properties to build additional profit-making housing units.
Inspectors for two Rockland government agencies found more than 400 violations at 10 properties owned by Jeremias in Spring Valley, including several on Lake Street, according to Day's office.
The Center for Rockland Codes Investigations found an additional 150 violations under the county sanitary code, which covers kitchens, restaurants, water sources, and pools, among other issues. The center has countywide jurisdiction, while Buildings and Codes jurisdiction is just Spring Valley.
Neighbors say the landlord doesn't respond
Tenants at Jeremias' property at 120 S. Lake St. have said they experienced electrical problems, such as a hallway light bulb that didn't turn on and a non-working radiator that didn't generate heat. They said their complaints to Jeremias or his representative seeking repairs and general maintenance fell on deaf ears.
One tenant at 120 S. Lake St. said his family pools their money to pay $2,050 a month in rent to live on the first floor. Other tenants pay rent for the top floor.
Mark Desrosiers said he and his family were sleeping when 118 Lake St. next door burned down, reported at 4:03 a.m. on March 4, a Saturday.
Desrosiers, 19, and his five family members rushed outside into the cold morning air, fearing the fire could spread to their home. Others living upstairs also fled the two-family house.
"We were sleeping," Desrosiers said on the Monday after the fire, as Rockland County buildings inspectors went through the house. "We didn't hear anything at first. My sister woke us up."
Four people at 118 Lake St., survived the fire, though burned, including one man who jumped from the second floor.
The first-floor tenants escaped the building consumed by fire and smoke. The wall of flames became so intense that police and firefighters could not enter the building. The second floor partially collapsed into the lower floor, authorities said.
Fire sparks inspections of landlord's properties
Since the fire, authorities said, the Rockland Office of Buildings and Codes and the Health Department's Center for Rockland Codes Investigations have been inspecting the properties in Spring Valley owned by Jeremias, his wife Esther "Esty" Jeremias, and those under his corporation, 7 Ohio LLC.
The Building and Codes Office only has inspection authority in Spring Valley, a 2 1/2 square mile community of working-class residents, families on social services, immigrants, and older-rental housing and apartment buildings. The village has a growing Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish population.
The Rockland government created the office after the state deputized Rockland to take over building inspections in Spring Valley in December 2021. The office has been inspecting and prosecuting violations since Feb. 14, 2022.
'You want to see him again:' 1 year after the Evergreen Court fire
The county takeover came nearly a year after the fatal fire on March 23, 2021, to the Evergreen Court Home for Adults. Killed in the blaze were Spring Valley Firefighter Second Lt. Jared Lloyd, 35, the father of two boys, and Oliver Hueston, 79, father of three adult sons.
Building and Codes inspectors found more than 250 violations of the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code violations at these properties owned and related to Jeremias: 116, 118, 120, and 122 S. Lake St., 86 N. Lake St.; 3 Jay St.; 6 Sherwood Ave., and 4, 5 and 7 Ohio Ave.
The Center for Rockland Codes Investigations has a countywide jurisdiction to enforce the county sanitary code. The unit found more than 150 potential violations on the following properties owned and related to Jeremias: 120 and 122 S. Lake St.; 6 Sherwood Ave.; 4, 5, and 7 Ohio Ave.; 3 De Baun Place and 46 West Hickory St., both in Hillcrest.
A property-by-property breakdown of violations will be provided once they have been issued, the county said. Fines are still being assessed and finalized, officials said. Many properties had common violations including single-room occupancies, electrical issues; and missing smoke & carbon monoxide detectors.
Inspectors learned smoke detectors were installed by the landlord in at least three properties.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Spring Valley fatal fire: Landlord has hundreds of code violations
