The rental house that was the scene of a fire that killed the two Maryland sisters on vacation with their family in Noyak (Town of Southampton, Sag Harbor Long Island, NY) earlier this month did not have a rental permit or working smoke alarms.
Sisters Jillian Wiener, 21 and Lindsay Wiener, 19, died from the fire while their parents, Lewis and Alisa Wiener (60 and 52), and brother Zachary, 23, survived. The family was vacationing from Potomac, Maryland.
Questions began when Sag Harbor Firefighters did not hear smoke detector alarms when they were operating. By all accounts, Sag Harbor Firefighters made extraordinary efforts to search, find and rescue both girls but despite their heroics and getting them out, the girls couldn't be revived.
Officials say not having a rental permit is a violation of the town code. The lack of the rental permit meant there had been no inspection of the property to ensure safety and they check for smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, GFI outlets and related safety standards.
Parts of the above are required portions of not just the town code, but the New York state fire and building code, and investigators found there were smoke detectors in the house, but they were not working.
The family's three children were sleeping upstairs, while the parents slept downstairs at the time the fire broke out. The father apparently woke to the sound of breaking glass and warned the family to get out. When he and his wife escaped outside, they realized their children did not and the father attempted to go back into the home, but the flames were too intense for him to do so, leaving him burned.
RELATED: https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/where-are-the-fcking-smoke-alarms/
*****NFPA INFORMATION FOR RENTERS*****https://www.nfpa.org//-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Infographics/TakeSafetyWithYouInfographic.ashx
NFPA RENTAL PROPERTY INFO FOR PROPERTY OWNERS:https://www.nfpa.org//-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Infographics/ProvideSafeHomeAwayFromHomeInfographic.ashx