FINGERS POINTED

Woman Blamed in NYC Fire That Killed 13 Says She’s the Victim

Her son was allegedly playing with the stove, sparking the deadly blaze. Now she wants $1 billion.

A New York City woman blamed for an inferno that killed 13 people is turning the tables—filing a billion-dollar lawsuit that portrays her as the victim, the New York Post reported. Rita Yeboah was criticized after the 2017 blaze in the Bronx for not stopping her 3-year-old son from playing with the stove and for failing to close the door behind her as she fled the flames. But in her suit against the city, the landlord, the gas utility and others, Yeboah argues that the stove knobs were too easy to turn, that the door should have closed by itself, and that there were safety violations in the building. Neighbors were appalled that Yeboah would file a claim for “smoke inhalation, emotional trauma and loss of property.” But her attorney said she has also suffered unfairly since the fire. “This family is a pariah,” he said.

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