Fatal Trump Tower fire: No sprinkler system in apartments

Show Caption Hide Caption 4 firefighters injured in deadly Trump Tower blaze in NYC The president tweeted about the blaze, commending the firefighters who responded. He said the fire had been extinguished but fire officials remained at the scene for several hours due to the heavy smoke.

The apartment destroyed by a raging fire in New York's Trump Tower that killed a resident and injured six firefighters had no sprinkler system, authorities said.

Firefighters remained at the scene Sunday, cleaning up after the blaze and trying to determine its cause. The fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday in the 58-story building.

President Trump keeps a sprawling, penthouse residence in the building, and his business has offices there. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Secret Service agents accompanied firefighters to check on the Trump residence. Nigro said no Trump family members were inside.

Trump, in a tweet, thanked firefighters and said the blaze was "very confined," citing a "well built building."

Nigro said, "The upper floors, the resident floors, are not sprinklered."

More: Trump Tower fire: One dead, four New York City firefighters hurt

More: Donald Trump vows friendship with China — but also victory on trade

The building was completed in 1983, several years before sprinkler systems were mandated. Owners of older, residential high-rises are required to add the systems when major renovations take place.

Safety advocates wanted older apartment buildings to be retrofitted with sprinklers when the city began requiring them in new residential high-rises almost 20 years ago. Developers argued that the vast majority of fatal fires rage in smaller multifamily homes, not high-rises.

Then-mayor Rudy Giuliani supported the developers, citing cost concerns.

Nigro said more than 200 firefighters rushed to the scene. They found the apartment "entirely on fire, (but) members pushed in heroically." The victim, Todd Brassner, 67, was rushed to a hospital and died a short time later.

"This was a very difficult fire," Nigro said. "As you can imagine, the apartment is quite large. We are 50 stories up. The rest of the building had a considerable amount of smoke."

We found fire on the 50th floor of the building. The apartment was entirely on fire. Members pushed in heroically, they were knocking down the fire and found one occupant of the apartment who is in critical condition -#FDNY Commissioner Nigro gives update on 721 5th Ave 4th alarm — FDNY (@FDNY) April 7, 2018

Eric Trump, one of the president's sons who helps head the Trump Organization, which has headquarters in the tower, tweeted his praise to firefighters.

"Thank you to the amazing men and women of the NYFD who extinguished a fire in a residential apartment at @TrumpTower," he wrote. "The @FDNY and @NYPD are truly some of the most incredible people anywhere!"

A fire in the tower's heating systems in January sent smoke billowing from the roof and injured three people, none seriously.

Contributing: The Associated Press