Demolition of five-ravaged businesses in Kingsbridge begins

We cannot proceed with larger demolition equipment until the fire department is done with their investigation.”

Kristen Hacket,t Robert E. Hill Inc.

As demolition began last week at the five Kingsbridge businesses ravaged by a fire in December, business owners were waiting for the cause of the fire to be determined so they can proceed with insurance claims.

As of press time, fire marshals had not yet narrowed down a cause.

One of the property managers for the building where the fire took place, Kristen Hackett, a principal of Robert E. Hill Inc., detailed the demolition process last week.

“The beginning of the demolition is going to be slow and methodical, using hand equipment, as directed by the fire marshal, until they are able to determine the cause of the fire,” Hackett said.

“We cannot proceed with larger demolition equipment until the fire department is done with their investigation. We eagerly await this report, as it is needed to proceed with the insurance claims for the (property) owner as well as the shop owners.”

Mini excavators were brought to the property, on the corner of West 231st Street and Godwin Terrace, to further dismantle the businesses, which include a deli where the fire reportedly started, a barbershop, a seafood market, a meat market and a dry cleaner.

For Kenny Lim, owner of 231st Street Cleaners, a full demolition would mean losing all of his customers’ clothes that are still inside. The shop has been in business since 1952, and Lim has operated it for the past 15 years.

He told The Riverdale Press that his store was not destroyed, because it is the farthest from where the fire started and appeared to sustain little damage. His customers’ clothes had only water damage, Lim said, but he has been unable to return them because of safety concerns.

“I can’t go in there,” he said. “They just (closed it off). Now this week they took off the roof — they messed up everything.”

The storefront is currently blocked by a temporary green wooden fence, but that hasn’t stopped the complaints from some of the cleaner’s roughly 2,000 customers. While Lim’s insurance will cover the cost of replacing the laundering and pressing machinery, it does not cover customers’ clothes.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz told The Press that he knew several people who had clothing in the cleaners when it burned down.

“Some of the clothes may be salvageable,” he said. “Many may have water or smoke damage — I don’t know the answer to that. I happen to know two different people who had a bunch of clothes (there). One had several suits, one had several dresses. But it’s obviously not the cleaner’s fault this happened.”

Lim, who is Korean and a non-native English speaker, has had difficulty finding help. A member of the Korean-American Dry Cleaners’ Association of New York, he has asked the city fire marshal and the Department of Buildings when he can get inside his store.

“I call so many times,” Lim recounted. “They say ‘OK,’ ‘Oh, next week you can go,’” Lim said. “But (it’s been) weeks. I called the construction manager yesterday. They said (I could) go after two weeks, three or four weeks or something like that. Who’s going to tell me right? I have no idea.”

After the fire, Dinowitz, City Councilman Eric Dinowitz and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson met with some of the merchants, and encouraged them to contact their district offices.

“I’m not clear on the cause of the fire or what happened, whether it was some gas thing or a lithium ion battery,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said. “But I think the merchants know they can contact me at my office, or the councilman, in terms of dealing with the bureaucracy or dealing with the city agencies. … Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as saying the city or state should give us money so we can start all over.”

Days after The Press spoke to Lim, fire marshals and buildings department representatives told him that it might take as long as two more weeks to take the shop’ ceiling down and make it safe to retrieve the clothing. Lim’s plan, once he gets inside, is to retrieve the clothing, wash it and send it back to his customers.

In the meantime, Lim has been working with his wife, who owns Joan’s Cleaners nearby, a drop-off cleaners with no machines that used to send its clothes to be washed at 231st Street Cleaners. The Lims are washing clothes at a new site now.

He has also created a GoFundMe site to rebuild or relocate his dry cleaners, and at press time had collected $1,420 of his goal of $40,000. It can be found at http://tinyurl.com/bdhweauy.

Lim is not the only affected business to have a fundraiser. A GoFundMe for New Riverdale Nail & Hair Center had received $2,034 of a hoped-for $30,000, at http://tinyurl.com/5bvy4e8e.

Cold Cut City Bunny Deli, where the fire reportedly started, also has a GoFundMe, which had collected $6,312, and has a goal of $200,000.

“In these challenging times, we humbly seek your assistance to support our recovery efforts,” the fundraiser organized by the son of the deli owners, Chris Victorio, reads. “With a decade shared of memories, we are determined to rebuild and continue serving you. Any contribution, big or small, is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time, support, and may you be blessed.”

An employee at the ravaged New Sea Win Seafood Market told The Press that the owners do not have a fundraising campaign, and are waiting for the cause of the fire to be determined so they can claim an insurance payout.

“We’re of course going to be there — they’re our neighbors,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said of the affected businesses. “And I’ve got to tell you, I lived here most of my life. I don’t think I remember a fire at that block. It’s regrettable that happened.

“Now, that’s a major blow. That particular block is literally like the center of our business district. That’s the hub. It’s horrible. It’s just horrible.”