The New York City fire marshal leading the investigation into the fire that led to the death of a veteran firefighter and Floral Park resident is suing the fire department for allegedly terminating the investigation, according to court documents obtained by ABC New York News.
The March fire that killed Michael Davidson was determined to be caused by a boiler ventilation flue pipe ignited by combustible materials by the fire department in May.
The building, which was located at 774 St. Nicholas Ave. near 148th St., was being used as a set for a movie in which Edward Norton was acting and directing.
Fire Marshal Scott Specht said he was removed from the investigation when he pushed to look into the role the movie-set material may have played in the fire, ABC reported.
Efforts to reach the FDNY were unavailing.
Specht’s attorney, Peter Gleason, who often represents members of the fire department, told ABC that Specht was removed from the investigation when he tried to “get to the bottom of what truly happened.”
“So you have a boiler, but you also have a movie production company that interjected into this building massive amounts of flammable material and hundreds of feet of electrical cable. So this is an investigation that should still be ongoing,” Gleason told ABC.
An FDNY spokesman told ABC Specht “wasn’t taken off the case, ad he initially agreed with the findings.”
In a statement shared with Eyewitness News, the FDNY also said Specht was “not the lead investigator nor was he removed from working on the case.”
“After stating that he did not believe he had the experience or training to complete the report, his supervisor took on that role, and he was instructed and encouraged by the supervisor to include all of his theories and notes about his own findings – which are part of the investigative report,” the statement continues.
Davidson, 37, was a 15-year veteran with the department.
He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant, a position he was in line to receive after passing the exam in 2015, by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Davidson is survived by his wife, Eileen, and their four children — 7-year-old Brooke, 6-year-old Joseph, 3-year-old Emily and 1-year-old Amy.
