(…)
He said the apartment, a large unit that was heavily furnished, was “virtually entirely on fire.” Video footage showed flames bursting through broken windows.
>Todd Brassner 187'd?
(…)
The commissioner said firefighters went with the Secret Service to inspect the president’s residence. While the rest of the building had a “considerable amount of smoke,” it was not immediately clear if it reached Mr. Trump’s unit, he said.
More than 200 firefighters responded to the fire, the cause of which was unknown, the commissioner said.
While the building is subject around the clock to extra security by law enforcement, extra fire protection happens only when the president is there, Commissioner Nigro said.
>extra/outside troops more likely to be compromised than regular detail+plenty of room in 200 firefighters to have a few clowns
(…)
Lalitha Masson, a 76-year-old resident, called it “a very, very terrifying experience.”
“When I saw the television, I thought we were finished,” said Ms. Masson (…)
She said that she did not get any announcement about leaving, and that when she called the front desk no one answered.
>witness learned about it on television? no inside announcement (if NYT believable)
Dennis Shields, a resident who said he lived on the 42nd floor, described the scene.
“You could smell the smoke and you could hear things falling like through the vents,” he said. “It just smelled like sulfur.”
He said there were no orders to evacuate but he received a text message from Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael D. Cohen.
Mr. Shields, who said he grew up with Mr. Cohen, continued: “He said, ‘Are you in the building?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘You better get out ASAP.’ That’s how I knew to get out, otherwise I’d still be in there.”
>Nothing here contradicts the previous testimony of Ms. Masson about no announcement. The timeframe is also omitted, so some read foreknowledge, whereas all it takes is Cohen to see the same thing on television that Ms. Masson did, and make calls (maybe to Trump first, find out hes not there and its ok, then his friend)…
In January, a small electrical fire broke out near the top of the building. Officials at the time indicated it was in the building’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
A firefighter was hurt by falling debris and two civilians were injured.
>we see what you did there with your closing, NYtimes