FDNY: faulty electrical wiring caused Jan. 10 five-alarm fire in Allerton neighborhood

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Heavy fire vents through the windows of a fifth floor floor during an apartment fire at 2910 Wallace Avenue on Jan. 10, 2025.
Photo Lloyd Mitchell

Faulty electrical wiring was to blame for the Jan. 10 five-alarm fire that injured seven and displaced hundreds of residents at 2910 Wallace Avenue, according to fire marshalls

At the time of the blaze, some residents had reportedly been running space heaters and other equipment due to inadequate heat in the building, but FDNY said the fire was not caused by such devices. 

Following the fire, the over 250 displaced residents have been working to save belongings from their apartments and figure out long-term housing situations.

The building’s full vacate order has since been partially rescinded order to allow residents to retrieve personal property only while accompanied by the owner-hired professional engineer, according to a Department of Buildings spokesperson.

Though the fire was not started by a space heater or similar device, concerns about conditions at the building still remain.

The building is owned by notorious landlord Ved Parkash, who in 2015 topped the city’s Worst Landlords watchlist. Residents filed 239 heat and hot water complaints to 311 over the past three years, according to the property information website WhoOwnsWhat

As reported by THE CITY, Parkash’s record of heat-related violations and complaints across his portfolio flagged him for mandatory participation in the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) heat sensor program, which requires constant temperature monitoring for problem buildings. Parkash sued to stay out of the program, but a judge ordered him to comply — and gave a deadline for just five days after the fire broke out. At least some of the 2910 Wallace Avenue residents reportedly had heat sensors installed when the fire broke out. 

The Red Cross registered 75 households for emergency temporary housing in the days following the incident, but now, their hotel stays have expired, leaving many with no option but to enter the city’s homeless shelter system. Some families with children were allowed to stay at the hotel until Jan. 31, but many had to leave by Jan. 24.

Residents expressed frustration at the lack of long-term help in finding permanent housing at a rate comparable to what they had. 

“They’re not even saying what kind of help we’re gonna get in the long run,” one resident told News 12. “They’re just saying, ‘Go to the shelter. That’s all we have for you.’ That’s it.” 


Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes