Trump Tower fire ruled accidental by New York City Fire Department

ByNicholas Augustine WABC logo
Monday, April 16, 2018

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- The fire that killed a man in Trump Tower has been labeled "accidental" by investigators.

The cause of the 4-alarm fire was electrical, according to FDNY fire marshals. The investigators noted that a sequenced power-strip was overloaded.

A smoke alarm was also not present in the apartment.

Since the fire, officials have called for buildings to be updated to the latest fire safety standards. This would include installing sprinklers in residential buildings that were exempted from a 1999 law requiring them.

Trump Tower was one of the many buildings grandfathered in.

Firefighters pulled Todd Brassner, 67, from the 50th floor of the building. He was unconscious and unresponsive. He later died at the hospital.