House Burnt Down in the Hood
Though ABrooklynLife was out of town when it happened, the folks at 423 Smith are reporting that a house burnt down on 2nd Place near Clinton this morning. Obviously a super-sad time for everyone living in the building and for the owners. I'm going to step up onto the soap box for a moment: Make sure you have renter's insurance (and make sure you're insured for replacement value not just current cash value). It's super cheap and, in the event of a fire, can mean the difference between having nothing and having enough to start over with. OK, climbing down now. If anyone knows of a way to help the people affected by the fire, please post it.
In an interesting twist, a reader notes how the fire has affected his cable hookup, a process that we've noted before is a long road in this neighborhood.
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I've been meaning to look into renter's insurance for a while now... any advice? I think it warrents a post all unto itself...
heard that the fire was caused by an electric heater. cancelled the insurance a few months ago but the fire has made me think that i ought to have one. anybody knows of a reliable insurance broker in the neighborhood?
Props to those who are recommending renter's insurance - particularly in Brownstone Brooklyn. Fire is just one of many many scenarios that can destroy a whole building's worth of stuff in those old buildings. But, on that topic - there was a fire on one floor of a neighboring building several years ago, and the smoke and water damage destroyed stuff on every floor of that building and several adjacent floors of the buildings on either side, and even some in an apartment two houses down. Apparantly, the ceilings, just below the roofs have conduits and gaps that can aid in the spread of fire and smoke to adjouning buildings. As such, the FD will sometimes hose down (and over) those spaces.
Renters Insurance is really easy to get. You should be able to get it directly, without using a broker, by going to State Farm, Allstate, or MetLife's websites, just to name a couple of companies. You can pretty much determine your deductible and limits, depending on how much you want to spend. I would go to some websites and call the companies directly to talk to them about it. They ask how old the building you live in is, they ask how close the fire dept is, and how close your building is to a hydrant, that type of thing. It's a very easy type of policy to obtain, and it's important to have.
Yep. I get mine through my credit union, USAA, which is only available to members of the military and their family (I'm family). Most any insurance company that offers car or home insurance offers renter's insurance. There's usually a basic coverage level, and then you can get additional coverage for high-ticket items like computers and add riders for expensive jewelry (such as engagement rings). Like I said, just make sure it's replacement coverage so when you lose a sofa you get $1,000 to buy a new one, not $50 to replace the piece of crap you have now ;)
I watched this whole thing go down from my bedroom window. I am now the proud owner of two fire extinguishers.
On a "Christmas Miracle" sort of note - There is an infirm man who lives on the top floor of the building, whom nobody was able to reach before the fire trucks arrived because of the smoke. By that time floors were collapsing & the fire was licking even the roof of the building.
It turns out he was brought to the hospital about three hours before the fire started for some medical reason & was spared the fire entirely.
Yes very sad for the owners, residents and the 120 year old building. People, stop worrying so much about your stuff! The fact that everyone survived this is what's important here.