Daniel Tepfer, Staff Writer
Published: 11:22 p.m., Wednesday, May 12, 2010
BRIDGEPORT -- The family of a city woman and her three children who died in a fire in their West Side apartment last November filed notices Wednesday they intend to sue the city and the Bridgeport Housing Authority for negligently causing the deaths.
Tiana Black and her three children, Ny-shon Williams, 5, and 4-year-old twins, Nyaisja and Tyaisja Williams, died in a fire in their P.T. Barnum Apartments unit shortly after midnight on Nov. 13.
In legal notices filed Wednesday, their family claims Black and her children's death were the result of the careless and reckless behavior of city and housing authority employees for failing to provide a safe escape for the family from the flames in their home.
The family's lawyer, John Bochanis, declined comment on the notices.
Nicolas Calace, executive director of the Bridgeport Housing Authority, said he could not comment on pending litigation.
"If and when a lawsuit naming as defendants the City of Bridgeport, or any of its officers or employees, is in fact filed, then it will be vigorously (and we anticipate successfully) defended."
The fire started when a rear burner on the apartment's gas stove that had been left on ignited the kitchen counter and cabinets, according to the state fire marshal.
When firefighters arrived, flames were billowing out of the unit's kitchen window. Tyaisja was found on the floor of the dining room near the front door. Her twin sister was found on the living room couch. Neither child had any burns and died from smoke inhalation. Tiana Black was found by firefighters on the dining room floor near her daughter. She had burns on her arms, shoulders and face. Ny-shon was found lying at the foot of a second-floor bedroom window. He also died from smoke inhalation.
The fire marshal's report stated the 22-year-old Black was legally intoxicated at the time of the fire and that condition "would likely have impaired her ability to respond appropriately to the initial alarm and to the fire itself." Investigators said they found a glass rum bottle that was three-quarters full on the floor of the dining room and on the floor of the kitchen an open container of fruit juice that contained an alcoholic beverage.
While city officials have contended the P.T. Barnum housing project does comply with all fire codes, critics have pointed out that the apartments have no fire escapes.
They claim that if there was a fire escape to the second-story bedroom windows at least one of the children would have gotten out safely.
"It's unfortunate that this could not be resolved short of a lawsuit," said Carmen Lopez, a former Superior Court judge who is heading a "shadow task force," investigating the tragedy. "But hopefully a lawsuit will bring out the number of safety issues at the housing project. That little boy (Ny-shon) was standing by the window waiting to be rescued."
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