8 families homeless after Spring Valley blaze

SPRING VALLEY – Eight families, including a newborn, were left without a home after a fire early Saturday in a building that authorities described as an illegal boarding house.

The blaze at 35 Johnson St. was reported soon after midnight.

Heavy smoke and flames were coming from the first floor of the two-story building when firefighters arrived.

There were no working smoke detectors in the building, said Gordon Wren Jr., Rockland's fire and emergency services coordinator. However, all occupants, 14 adults and four children, were able to get out safely.

Spring Valley fire inspector Frank Youngman said he saw numerous violations and safety issues inside the building.

"It was atrocious," he said.

The building is owned by Admas Koidesh Realty Inc., of 16 Francis Place, Monsey, which is also the address of Ephraim Neiman, according to records. Village officials said they knew the owner as a Mr. Neiman, whose family owns the nearby Neiman's Kosher Fish Market.

Tenants told officials that they pay rents in cash of up to $1,500 for one floor and $600 for one room and $300 for a room on the lower level, Youngman said.

Reached by telephone Saturday evening, Neiman denied running an illegal boarding house and said he had no knowledge of eight families living on the property.

"It's a five-family house. There are five families living there," he said. "As far as we know, we've rented it to five families, that's it."

The fire, the second in a little more than two days, highlights hazardous housing conditions in Spring Valley, which Wren says has lax enforcement policies.

"The village is unwilling to take an aggressive stance on these landlords who put their tenants and the lives of firefighters in danger," he said.

Mayor Demeza Delhomme, who last week suspended the village's building inspector, said he's aware of the problem, which he blamed on a combination of unscrupulous landlords and uneducated tenants.

"Unsafe housing is our No. 1 problem," he said. "We're working on it."

The families that lost their homes early Saturday were taken to the Spring Valley municipal center, where they were given assistance by the American Red Cross.

"We had boots on the ground — neighbors helping neighbors," said Carolyn Sherwin of the Red Cross.

The tenants were temporarily housed in local hotels and will receive assistance relocating.

Volunteers from the Spring Valley, South Spring Valley and Hillcrest fire departments were at the scene.

Twitter: @JaneLernerNY



