Despite the cord sparking the fire, it needn't have been nearly as damaging, fire officials have said. Smoke alarms were present and activated in the building at the time of the blaze, officials say. Tenants didn't call right away. One woman previously told News 4 she was confused, thinking smoke was steam from her shower.
She wasn't the only one who smelled smoke and didn't call 911 immediately, investigators have said. Ultimately, the delay in reporting caused a roughly 10-minute delay in response, which FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro previously described as an "eternity" in the realm of firefighting.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said tenants heard the fire alarms go off but waited around 10 minutes before calling the fire department to report the massive apartment fire in Queens Tuesday that ended up injuring 21 people and displacing around 90 families. Making matters worse, he said, the door to the apartment where the fire started was left open allowing for the blaze to spread quickly.