Jackson Heights Life

an overloaded power strip. exacerbated by the fact that people panicked -- as we all might -- and ran out of their burning apartment without closing the door.

I googled "self closing door NYC fire code" and found this:

Self-closing doors are required in all buildings with three or more apartments. Smoke alarms must be provided and installed by the landlord. A fire escape plan must be posted on the inside of every apartment door, common area, and distributed to each dwelling, new tenants, and annually during fire prevention week.

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/fire-safety.page#:~:text=Self%2Dclosing%20doors%20are%20required,annually%20during%20fire%20prevention%20week.

I'm assuming self closing doors are required because people do panic in fires, and sometimes they simply don't know that the should close the door to prevent fire spread.

I'm curious -  did this building not have self closing doors as required by NYC fire code? Anyone know?

My building has self-closing doors, and if I'm not careful, the apartment doors slams behind me with a huge bang if I ever forget to guide it slowly closed with my free hand.