A Chinatown fire, being called the worst New York City fire in years after 33 people were injured and more than 200 were left homeless earlier this month, occurred in a building facing numerous health and safety violations, the New York Times reported.

Firefighters also recovered the body of an 87-year-old man on the top floor of one of the three buildings involved in the fire. More than 250 firefighters were called to battle the seven-alarm blaze. Twenty-nine firefighters suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.

Tenants were complaining throughout the winter that they had no heat and that the building was infested with mold and exposed wiring. At the time of the fire, the building was facing more than two dozen open violations for hazardous conditions, including missing smoke detectors and lead paint, as well as other problems detailing a history of neglect, according to city records.

Meanwhile, the building owners had put the property on the market for sale, for the third time in five years, with an asking price of $13.5 million. The 100-year-old, six-story building at 283 Grand Street was fronted by fire escapes and contained two ground-floor stores and 30 apartments.

It is the second time in as many months that a New York City apartment fire was reportedly caused by negligent conditions. As we reported in February on our New York Injury Lawyer blog, a landlord was charged in connection with a fire at a Bensonhurst apartment building that had been illegally subdivided to create more units.

Landlords have a duty to provide tenants with safe and secure properties. When a tenant is seriously injured or killed in a fire, assault, elevator or escalator accident, or other accident caused by a property owner's negligence, a New York City premise liability attorney should be consulted and the property owner or management company should be held responsible.

The New York Daily News reported that recent violations included a broken boiler and at least five citations for obstructed passageways.