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| They Survived a Brooklyn Fire. Then a New Ordeal Began. | They Survived a Brooklyn Fire. Then a New Ordeal Began. |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| He was on the way to the shower when the shouts began. Jonathan Rondon turned and ran out of the building with his girlfriend and their baby daughter. His mother ran out, too. There was smoke in the stairway, getting thicker. | He was on the way to the shower when the shouts began. Jonathan Rondon turned and ran out of the building with his girlfriend and their baby daughter. His mother ran out, too. There was smoke in the stairway, getting thicker. |
| His sister scooped up her little dog from under her bed, grabbed her phone and joined them on DeKalb Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the dark night aglow with the flickering firelight of burning buildings. | His sister scooped up her little dog from under her bed, grabbed her phone and joined them on DeKalb Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the dark night aglow with the flickering firelight of burning buildings. |
| His brother ran toward the flames. He had been coming from the gym when he saw the orange glow up the block and the pulsing red lights of the first two fire engines that responded to what would quickly build to a six-alarm blaze. | His brother ran toward the flames. He had been coming from the gym when he saw the orange glow up the block and the pulsing red lights of the first two fire engines that responded to what would quickly build to a six-alarm blaze. |
| The fire last week spread to three low-slung railroad apartment buildings and caused damage to two others on the block, sending dozens of parents and children into the street. Among them stood the Rondon family. They all made it out: Jonathan Rondon, 22; his girlfriend, Dillinger Acosta, 22; their baby daughter, Esmé, 1; his sister, Leslie, 19, with her dog, Princess; his brother, Franklyn, two days shy of 18; and their mother, Haydee, 41. Safe but shaken, the family stood outside its home of four years late that Tuesday night and watched it burn. | The fire last week spread to three low-slung railroad apartment buildings and caused damage to two others on the block, sending dozens of parents and children into the street. Among them stood the Rondon family. They all made it out: Jonathan Rondon, 22; his girlfriend, Dillinger Acosta, 22; their baby daughter, Esmé, 1; his sister, Leslie, 19, with her dog, Princess; his brother, Franklyn, two days shy of 18; and their mother, Haydee, 41. Safe but shaken, the family stood outside its home of four years late that Tuesday night and watched it burn. |
| At least 35 families were displaced in the fire. Some hoped to return to their homes in the coming days, if only to retrieve belongings. Others looked up at blackened windows and counted their losses. Everyone needed somewhere to stay. | At least 35 families were displaced in the fire. Some hoped to return to their homes in the coming days, if only to retrieve belongings. Others looked up at blackened windows and counted their losses. Everyone needed somewhere to stay. |
| Fatal fires remain at near record lows in New York City, with 59 deaths last year compared with 71 in 2014 — the 10th consecutive year under 100. And yet the severity of the havoc wrought by fire, the immensity of the loss from destroyed property, remains high among the most traumatic events a person can go through. | |
| Fires like last week’s in Bushwick send families fleeing smoke-filled hallways into the streets. But that is just the beginning of what is, for many, a daunting odyssey of agencies and bureaus, hotels and shelters, in the attempt to replace what is lost. | Fires like last week’s in Bushwick send families fleeing smoke-filled hallways into the streets. But that is just the beginning of what is, for many, a daunting odyssey of agencies and bureaus, hotels and shelters, in the attempt to replace what is lost. |
| How the days, even weeks, after a fire play out for someone it has displaced are largely determined by what that person can grab in the seconds before escaping. Interviews with several Bushwick residents displayed a range of challenges people face in finding, or recreating, the documents necessary to secure a new home. | How the days, even weeks, after a fire play out for someone it has displaced are largely determined by what that person can grab in the seconds before escaping. Interviews with several Bushwick residents displayed a range of challenges people face in finding, or recreating, the documents necessary to secure a new home. |
| That night last week, the Rondons took stock, patting pockets. What had everyone picked up on the way out? | That night last week, the Rondons took stock, patting pockets. What had everyone picked up on the way out? |
| Jonathan, shirtless and shoeless, had nothing. The same for his mother. Only Franklyn, coming from the gym, had his phone and wallet. Leslie had no purse, no identification. But she had her phone, and her dog. | Jonathan, shirtless and shoeless, had nothing. The same for his mother. Only Franklyn, coming from the gym, had his phone and wallet. Leslie had no purse, no identification. But she had her phone, and her dog. |
| Others on the street feared for pets. A high school teacher, Luke Moffitt, 32, had opened a window so his cats could escape, but he had not seen them. A building super who raised pigeons atop the first building to burn feared the worst — they had been locked in a coop for the night. | Others on the street feared for pets. A high school teacher, Luke Moffitt, 32, had opened a window so his cats could escape, but he had not seen them. A building super who raised pigeons atop the first building to burn feared the worst — they had been locked in a coop for the night. |
| An American Red Cross van soon arrived on DeKalb, with blankets and bottled water; the organization typically sends two-person teams to serious residential fires. Rosaira Quinones, 33, who lived with her husband and their baby son in the building where the fire began, clutched a pack of Red Cross diapers, a size too big. They had one phone between them, and no identification. | An American Red Cross van soon arrived on DeKalb, with blankets and bottled water; the organization typically sends two-person teams to serious residential fires. Rosaira Quinones, 33, who lived with her husband and their baby son in the building where the fire began, clutched a pack of Red Cross diapers, a size too big. They had one phone between them, and no identification. |
| Several families, including the Rondons and Ms. Quinones’s, were taken to a Sleep Inn near the Park Slope neighborhood that night. The next day, after a few hours’ rest, they were back on DeKalb, alongside many neighbors. The fire was out, its destruction plain. The building where it began was destroyed, a blackened husk with no roof. | Several families, including the Rondons and Ms. Quinones’s, were taken to a Sleep Inn near the Park Slope neighborhood that night. The next day, after a few hours’ rest, they were back on DeKalb, alongside many neighbors. The fire was out, its destruction plain. The building where it began was destroyed, a blackened husk with no roof. |
| A landlord found an expired Dominican Republic passport on the sidewalk. He put it in his pocket until, hours later, he found its owner. | A landlord found an expired Dominican Republic passport on the sidewalk. He put it in his pocket until, hours later, he found its owner. |
| A group of about eight undocumented day laborers who lived in the buildings boarded a Red Cross bus for a hotel, but when they learned it was in Queens, they got off en route, said Letitia James, the city’s public advocate, who met them. They had left identification and cash in their apartments and were anxious about straying too far. | A group of about eight undocumented day laborers who lived in the buildings boarded a Red Cross bus for a hotel, but when they learned it was in Queens, they got off en route, said Letitia James, the city’s public advocate, who met them. They had left identification and cash in their apartments and were anxious about straying too far. |
| The Rondons looked up and saw an undamaged ironing board visible through one of their windows. Maybe they could salvage some things — a ring, pictures, phones. But at day’s end, they were told no. Maybe the next day. | The Rondons looked up and saw an undamaged ironing board visible through one of their windows. Maybe they could salvage some things — a ring, pictures, phones. But at day’s end, they were told no. Maybe the next day. |
| Thursday brought a new challenge: money. The Red Cross gave preloaded debit cards to families on DeKalb for emergency spending after the fire. The amounts on the cards ranged from around $300 to more than $1,000, depending on the size of the family. But there was a catch: Adult family members could be counted only if they could produce identification. | Thursday brought a new challenge: money. The Red Cross gave preloaded debit cards to families on DeKalb for emergency spending after the fire. The amounts on the cards ranged from around $300 to more than $1,000, depending on the size of the family. But there was a catch: Adult family members could be counted only if they could produce identification. |
| For the Rondons, that was Franklyn, who had brought his wallet from the gym. He and the baby — whose identification was not required — were assigned funds on the card, but the other four adults from the apartment were not. | For the Rondons, that was Franklyn, who had brought his wallet from the gym. He and the baby — whose identification was not required — were assigned funds on the card, but the other four adults from the apartment were not. |
| Franklyn’s mother, Haydee, remembered that her employer, a nursing home in the East New York neighborhood, had made a photocopy of her learner’s permit when she started there. Did they still have it? | Franklyn’s mother, Haydee, remembered that her employer, a nursing home in the East New York neighborhood, had made a photocopy of her learner’s permit when she started there. Did they still have it? |
| They did, and faxed it to the front desk of the Sleep Inn. She was quickly added to the debit card. And the nursing home reminded her that her daughter, Leslie, had worked there for a scant two weeks last year. Her ID, also on file, was faxed to the hotel. | They did, and faxed it to the front desk of the Sleep Inn. She was quickly added to the debit card. And the nursing home reminded her that her daughter, Leslie, had worked there for a scant two weeks last year. Her ID, also on file, was faxed to the hotel. |
| A Red Cross caseworker met with families in the Sleep Inn on Thursday morning. They had all received a checklist, titled “Where to Obtain Documentation,” with contact information for schools, the Office of Vital Records in Manhattan, the Social Security Administration office and others. | A Red Cross caseworker met with families in the Sleep Inn on Thursday morning. They had all received a checklist, titled “Where to Obtain Documentation,” with contact information for schools, the Office of Vital Records in Manhattan, the Social Security Administration office and others. |
| Documentation was essential for the next step: long-term shelter. The Sleep Inn would accommodate them only for so long, generally two or three days or so. The families needed to visit the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Gold Street in Lower Manhattan for placement in a temporary home. | Documentation was essential for the next step: long-term shelter. The Sleep Inn would accommodate them only for so long, generally two or three days or so. The families needed to visit the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Gold Street in Lower Manhattan for placement in a temporary home. |
| Ms. Quinones, the mother with the baby in Red Cross diapers, visited Gold Street quickly — too quickly, it turned out. | Ms. Quinones, the mother with the baby in Red Cross diapers, visited Gold Street quickly — too quickly, it turned out. |
| “We don’t have the documents they want,” she said the next day, a Friday. “They were burned. They want my son’s birth certificate. They want proof of address for my husband and for me. Three proofs of address.” | “We don’t have the documents they want,” she said the next day, a Friday. “They were burned. They want my son’s birth certificate. They want proof of address for my husband and for me. Three proofs of address.” |
| Instead of a birth certificate, she was told to get a letter from the boy’s pediatrician. Done. Other requirements were more difficult. She was told that since she had no lease in her possession, she needed to have a form signed by her landlord swearing that she lived there. Fine. But after she found him on DeKalb, between sidewalk meetings with contractors, they realized a notary had to be present. Days later, she tried again, meeting the landlord outside the office of a notary nearby — only to realize the office had closed and the notary had moved on. | Instead of a birth certificate, she was told to get a letter from the boy’s pediatrician. Done. Other requirements were more difficult. She was told that since she had no lease in her possession, she needed to have a form signed by her landlord swearing that she lived there. Fine. But after she found him on DeKalb, between sidewalk meetings with contractors, they realized a notary had to be present. Days later, she tried again, meeting the landlord outside the office of a notary nearby — only to realize the office had closed and the notary had moved on. |
| Haydee Rondon gathered as many documents as she could on her last morning at the Sleep Inn, on Friday. The family checked out, hauling bags and a rolling suitcase bulging with donated food and clothing from friends and family. They piled into a taxi van and drove to Gold Street. | Haydee Rondon gathered as many documents as she could on her last morning at the Sleep Inn, on Friday. The family checked out, hauling bags and a rolling suitcase bulging with donated food and clothing from friends and family. They piled into a taxi van and drove to Gold Street. |
| One by one, the adults passed through a metal detector in the building’s lobby. The baby was allowed to bypass the machine in her stroller. A security officer escorted the Rondons to a waiting room. There, they saw familiar faces — two other families from DeKalb were already waiting. | One by one, the adults passed through a metal detector in the building’s lobby. The baby was allowed to bypass the machine in her stroller. A security officer escorted the Rondons to a waiting room. There, they saw familiar faces — two other families from DeKalb were already waiting. |
| The Rondons emerged from the building almost three hours later, bleary-eyed and hungry. “They made us fill out all kinds of forms,” Haydee said, getting into a cab to return to Brooklyn. She said she had to go to the post office to change her address to have her mail forwarded to her sister. | The Rondons emerged from the building almost three hours later, bleary-eyed and hungry. “They made us fill out all kinds of forms,” Haydee said, getting into a cab to return to Brooklyn. She said she had to go to the post office to change her address to have her mail forwarded to her sister. |
| While families like the Rondons hurried to meetings like this, DeKalb Avenue banged and rattled with activity, replacing the dreary lull after the firefighters had left. Engineers in hard hats had inspected the buildings and determined that only one, No. 1427, where the fire began, would be demolished. A low-bidding contractor arrived soon after, and teams of men worked quickly as the afternoon drew toward a close, putting up plywood walls around the surviving buildings, installing trash bins and raising scaffolding. | While families like the Rondons hurried to meetings like this, DeKalb Avenue banged and rattled with activity, replacing the dreary lull after the firefighters had left. Engineers in hard hats had inspected the buildings and determined that only one, No. 1427, where the fire began, would be demolished. A low-bidding contractor arrived soon after, and teams of men worked quickly as the afternoon drew toward a close, putting up plywood walls around the surviving buildings, installing trash bins and raising scaffolding. |
| Some families were briefly allowed inside their homes. | Some families were briefly allowed inside their homes. |
| “Fifteen minutes!” an engineer shouted. A boy ran out of his clutching a Minnie Mouse toy. Another, crying, held a statue of Mary. Mr. Moffitt, the teacher, entered his apartments and found his cats, unfazed. Behind another building, flies swarmed around the body of a burned, dead pigeon. | “Fifteen minutes!” an engineer shouted. A boy ran out of his clutching a Minnie Mouse toy. Another, crying, held a statue of Mary. Mr. Moffitt, the teacher, entered his apartments and found his cats, unfazed. Behind another building, flies swarmed around the body of a burned, dead pigeon. |
| An engineer in a hard hat told Jonathan Rondon, “I wish I could.” The Rondons have not been allowed back in their apartment and have been told there is nothing that can be salvaged inside. | An engineer in a hard hat told Jonathan Rondon, “I wish I could.” The Rondons have not been allowed back in their apartment and have been told there is nothing that can be salvaged inside. |
| From the street, Ms. Quinones’s home, closest to the flames, appeared the worst off. This week, demolition workers told her the pigeon coop on the roof had fallen into her apartment. But they said some of her belongings — including a file cabinet filled with papers, photographs and her son’s sonogram images — might be salvageable. She waited outside on Thursday, hopeful. She and her husband and son have been staying with friends and relatives while they await word on a temporary home. | |
| Compared with many neighbors, the Rondons had a good weekend. Jonathan Rondon and his girlfriend and daughter moved into two empty rooms in an apartment near their old one. Haydee and her other two children, Franklyn and Leslie, moved into a vacant apartment in East New York that her boss owns. It is an hour by bus from almost everyone they know, but it is home. | Compared with many neighbors, the Rondons had a good weekend. Jonathan Rondon and his girlfriend and daughter moved into two empty rooms in an apartment near their old one. Haydee and her other two children, Franklyn and Leslie, moved into a vacant apartment in East New York that her boss owns. It is an hour by bus from almost everyone they know, but it is home. |
| “It’s quiet,” Haydee said. | “It’s quiet,” Haydee said. |