On Saturday, April 7th, President Donald Trump’s high-rise skyscraper suffered from a fire. The Fifth Avenue tower’s 50th floor was engulfed in flames by six o’clock on Saturday, but the cause of this fire is still unknown to New York firefighters. New York Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said during a press interview that, “We received an automatic alarm in the Trump Tower. Units responded in about five minutes to this building that we found on fire in the 50th floor.” According to eye-witnesses, there was smoke wafting throughout the entire building and it took about 200 firefighters to contain it.

There was a total of five casualties in the ordeal; four firefighters were injured and one resident of the tower died. Todd Brassner, a 67 year-old art dealer with a love of collectibles, was rescued by first responders and taken to the hospital, where he later died. The firefighters received burns but none were severely injured or killed.

The fire at Trump Tower has sparked a substantial amount of controversy due to the fact that it could have been prevented. Commissioner Nigro confirmed to news outlets after the fire was put out that there were no sprinklers placed in the upper residential levels of the tower. Considering that it is now a requirement for New York buildings to have sprinkler systems, the major fire hazard could potentially be detrimental to Trump’s business. He could also face lawsuits, due to the fact that the fire caused a death. I asked high school junior, Savannah Marin what were her thoughts about the incident and the fact that Trump didn’t have any sprinklers. She said, “It’s just so stupid that something like that could have been prevented, but he was too like stubborn to do anything. I know that maybe he was confident that his building would be safe, but like, you have to be prepared for anything.”

President Trump tweeted shortly after the fire was put out, and thanked the firefighters for containing the the fire. He did not address the death of Todd Brassner, so it is safe to assume he was not aware of the death, or simply does not want to address the tragedy. We can only hope that in the future, President Trump takes more precautions and follows safety regulations to prevent any further accidents.