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Inwood Fire Victims Will Likely Be Homeless for Holidays

By Carla Zanoni | December 21, 2010 4:22pm | Updated on December 22, 2010 6:14am

By Carla Zanoni

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

INWOOD — Dozens of people displaced after a fire gutted two apartments and killed two family pets two weeks ago will likely still be homeless for the Christmas holiday because their landlord still hasn't made the necessary repairs.

Hakim Azizi, the landlord for 510 W. 218th Street, was issued several violations by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on Friday for failing to contract someone for repair work after the fire, including replacing windows and doors, according to Martin Collins, community liaison for City Councilman Robert Jackson.

Azizi had previously been given last Friday as a deadline for completing the work.

If Azizi does not make the repairs by the end of this week, HPD’s emergency response unit would likely take over the process of collecting bids and contracting a professional to begin work on the building.

A total of 13 families are not allowed to return home until those repairs are made, while five additional apartments require at least six months of repairs before tenants can return.

The evacuated residents are all staying with families and friends and did not apply for emergency government housing, said Collins.

Azizi did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Families had voiced concern about the landlord’s responsiveness during a meeting held at Columbia’s University’s Baker Field directly after the fire was extinguished.

"We don’t trust the landlord," said one resident. "He has a history of not making repairs."

A benefit for John and Kristen Galvin, who lost their apartment and pet dog Murphy during the fire, raised $13,000 for the family.

The Galvins were the hardest hit in the Dec. 9 fire, and had no insurance to protect them against the damage they sustained.

Their upstairs neighbors, Tom Cicero and Darren Nimtich, also lost their family pet — a cat named Kelly — when their apartment was gutted by the flames, but Nimtich and Cicero said they would not accept any donations from the public as their fire damage was covered by renter’s insurance.

Starlight Dry Cleaning, the business on the building's ground floor, reopened on Friday, Dec. 17, after water and smoke damage repairs were made.

FDNY said that the fire was likely caused by an electrical malfunction. A sophisticated marijuana lab was also discovered in the building during the rescue operations, according to 34th Precinct Capt. Jose Navarro.