A fire on New Years' Day in Holyoke left three dead. Some survivors have filed a lawsuit, saying negligence was involved.
State fire safety investigators determined that faulty wiring was the cause of the blaze, which destroyed a four-story apartment building. And they found that the alarm was not connected to a monitoring company, which could have alerted the Holyoke Fire Department.
Briana Serrano suffered serious injuries when she jumped from a window to escape. She and her boyfriend are suing the property owner and management company. Attorney Jack McQuade says the suit focuses on two aspects.
"One is the fact that the fire started in the first place, which we believe is the result of neglect in the maintenance of the building," McQuade said. "And the second is the lack of adequate alarms and fire protection."
Efforts to reach the defendants, Irshad Sideeka of Brookline and Works Management Services of Springfield, were not successful. They have yet to appear in court.