Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged on Tuesday to pursue a four-pronged package of federal fire safety measures after this month’s deadly Bronx blaze, saying that he expects bipartisan support.
Standing outside the Bronx high-rise where a smoky inferno killed 17 people, mostly of West African descent, Schumer (D-N.Y.) detailed the fire safety fixes he said he intends to usher through the Senate.
The plan would include funding for sprinkler systems in low-income housing; improve data collection for federal fire probes; mandate all space heaters have automatic shutoff features; and require self-closing mechanisms on apartment doors in buildings that receive federal funding.
