Rikers Island inmates sue NYC claiming they were trapped in cells during jail fire that injured 20
Associated PressNEW YORK — Inmates at New York City’s Rikers Island are suing the city claiming they were trapped in their cells during a jailhouse fire that injured 20 people last year. The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan said the 15 men were among those kept locked in their rooms by corrections officers as a fire burned through a housing unit for people with acute medical conditions requiring infirmary care or Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant housing. Joshua Lax, a lawyer representing the 15 men, said the lawsuit centers on the corrections department’s policy of keeping detainees at Rikers Island locked in their cells instead of evacuating them during fires that happen hundreds of times a year. Soot and smoke residue also wasn’t properly removed throughout the building, further exposing detainees to dangerous chemicals and particulate matter and leading some to develop “significant respiratory, pulmonary, and heart problems,” Lax said.
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