Property Destroyed in Storage Facility Fire

[menniltoss]

New York State

My personal property was being kept at a local storage facility. A large fire destroyed my unit and several others in the vicinity.

The storage facility doesn't have any smoke detectors/alarms installed. The storage facility purported to have 24-hour surveillance. The fire was reported around 7:00am, and firefighters were still battling the fire until at least 3:00pm. This, to me, suggests that the fire had been burning for significant time before 7:00am (as it took so long to extinguish).

Apparently the facility was undergoing "roof maintenance," and it is speculated that the sparks from a saw resulted in the blaze.

I was not permitted to rummage through the rubble (for safety, perhaps), and the contents of the dozens of destroyed units were bulldozed into a heap. Some of my property, e.g. jewelry, is indisputably intact.

I am unaware of any insurance policies, and I don't know the law. What are my rights, and am I entitled to compensation?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

If you check your rental agreement, I'm pretty sure you will see that you waived any claims for negligence against the owner. This only leaves you with recourse against the owner if he/she committed gross negligence.

On the other hand, you may have a claim against the roofing company, if you can show that their negligence caused your damages.

 

[FlyingRon]

If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance on your residence, see if it extends to cover the storage locker.
Otherwise you're pretty much out of luck. There's not likely to be any coverage from the storage provider unless you explicitly purchased it.

 

[You Are Guilty]

Where, exactly, in NYS? The lack of sprinklers may provide an avenue to proceed against the owner/operator of the facility if the local Fire Code requires them.

In the meantime, be sure to follow up with the fire chief and get a copy of the investigation report once it's done. You need to know how the fire started.

 

[justalayman]

. Some of my property, e.g. jewelry, is indisputably intact.

what the heck is it made from?


If there was much actual fire in your unit, anything gold or silver is most likely a little puddle somewhere. Any diamonds possibly/probably burned in the fire. Most typical jewelry really doesn't fare well in a fire unless it is inside a fireproof vault.

The storage facility doesn't have any smoke detectors/alarms installed. The storage facility purported to have 24-hour surveillance. The fire was reported around 7:00am, and firefighters were still battling the fire until at least 3:00pm. This, to me, suggests that the fire had been burning for significant time before 7:00am (as it took so long to extinguish).

No, that does not suggest much of anything other than the firemen were busy all day long. It could suggest the building was very flammable and they simply had a hard time putting out the fire but in itself, it is not indicative of anything in particular, especially how long the fire may have been burning prior to it being noticed.

as others have said: negligence on the part of the contractor is a prime concern. Then there is the sprinkler requirement possibility.
and of course, your home owners insurance.

 

[Eekamouse]

You should have purchased renter's insurance when you rented the unit. However, renter's insurance would not have been necessary if you already had home owner's insurance, all you needed to do was notify your carrier that you had rented a storage unit, and in most cases, your home owners insurance would have covered the storage unit as well as your home. Find the contract you signed when you rented the unit and reread it. You probably agreed to hold the storage company blameless for anything happening to your stuff.

 

[sevenhills]

Self Storage Service

You should definitely go through the agreement and ask for claim if possible from the self storage facility.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Necropost**************....

 

[Antigone*]

Necropost....

Fixed it for ya