The next time there’s a large, deadly blaze like the Twin Parks fire anywhere in the country, there will be a new team of federal investigators on site from the U.S. Fire Administration, thanks to a measure from Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres that was signed into law by President Joe Biden last month.

“Just like there’s a process for investigating airplane incidents and cyber incidents, we finally have a process for investigating fire incidents,” Torres said in an interview on “Mornings On 1” Monday.


What You Need To Know

  • The Twin Parks fire, which killed 17 a year ago Monday, inspired numerous pieces of legislation designed to improve fire safety and hold property owners more accountable

  • A bill sponsored by Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres and signed into law by President Joe Biden last month empowers the U.S. Fire Administration to investigate major fires

  • Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill requiring that space heaters sold in New York have thermostats and an automatic shut-off feature, and meet certification standards

  • City Council legislation passed last May addresses faulty self-closing doors, forcing building owners to correct violations more quickly and increasing penalties

It’s only the most recent legislative response to the Twin Parks fire, which killed 17 and was sparked by a faulty space heater in a third-floor apartment a year ago Monday.

Last month, Rep. Kathy Hochul signed a bill requiring that space heaters sold in New York have thermostats and an automatic shut-off feature, and meet certain certification standards.

But the deadliest factor in the fire was the failure of self-closing doors, which allowed smoke to rise to the upper floors, where most of the victims were found.

“Out of tragedy should come change,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a bill signing in June. “It should not bring about stagnation. And that’s what we did.”

He was signing a package of City Council bills addressing the issue. The bills establish a clear definition for “self-closing door,” require that property owners correct violations within two weeks instead of three, mandate the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development then re-inspect within 20 days, and set higher penalties for building owners — including a $250-a-day fine for unresolved violations.

“These fire safety bills will help ensure that another similar tragedy never happens again anywhere in our city by helping ensure that self-closing door laws are being taken seriously,” Bronx City Councilember Oswald Feliz, who represents the complex, said at the bill signing.

Other city legislation requires more building inspections and expands the fire department’s education efforts regarding space heaters.

But some efforts have fallen short. Talk of requiring older buildings to install modern sprinkler systems never went anywhere, and several of Torres’ other bills — like one requiring heat sensors in federally funded housing — also failed to gain traction.

“It’s far from mission accomplished,” Torres said Monday. “The truth is that the conditions that perpetuate these deadly fires in the Bronx remain deeply rooted.”