Bucharest apartment fire: No injuries, but residents demand refunds, deem building unsafe, refuse to return

After the fire that started in the residential compound Confort City in Bucharest on Tuesday (October 2) , 640 people were affected and 24 apartments on the upper floors sustained damage. The Confort City developers announced that they will provide temporary accommodation for those affected until the fire damage is repaired. Some spent Tuesday night at the Rin Grand Hotel in Bucharest, owned by the Romanian investors, Robert and Ionut Negoita, the same which developed the residential compound Confort City . Many of the residents have demanded that the developer refund them or offer alternative living quarter in a different building of the same compound. Some residents however say they do not want to return to Confort City after it has been repaired, deeming the building unsafe. Controlling the fire required a large scale joint emergency services operation, including 31 fire trucks, four ambulances and various specialized vehicles and equipment. Fortunately no injuries were reported and none of the residents were hospitalized, however, a number of people were extremely distressed and received treatment for shock at the scene. The cause of fire was not yet announced. The Confort City complex, owned by the Negoita brothers, consists of 12 buildings with 1,680 apartments, plus parking, two mini markets, a nursery, a children's playgrounds and parks. Ioana Toader, ioana.toader@romania-insider.com