NYCHA residents alarmed by smoke coming from temporary boiler outside Amsterdam Houses
A cancer survivor is among the residents at a NYCHA building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan concerned about dark smoke coming from a temporary boiler outside.
The housing authority says it's part of heating upgrades at the Amsterdam Houses, and the city says it's safe. However, residents say it's creating a buildup of dirt inside their homes and they want answers.
"Now, it's just like a fire"
Hector Camacho said he's cleaning more than ever to keep up with a black soot-like substance accumulating in his home. He says 10 years ago he went into remission for stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma and these days he suffers from sarcoidosis in his lungs -- an inflammatory disease.
He said what looks like a thick dust is coming from the temporary boiler that was set up outside the Amsterdam Houses in October 2024 as part of a nearly $50 million heating system upgrade.
"At the beginning, [it] was like burning rubber. Now, it's just like a fire," Camacho said. "It feels like a little burn in my sinuses."
"You see black smoke coming out of it. I keep my windows closed," resident Evelyn Torres said. "It's a horrible smell, especially [for] people who have asthma, you know? There's a lot of young kids here who do suffer from asthma."
"The smoke is very heavy," resident Kenda Moore said, adding, "So it;s very complicated to lift up and down the windows because we have to keep having dust accumulating on the windows from the smoke."
Camacho said the frequency and the amount of smoke has increased significantly in the last few weeks -- and that's a concern.
Lawmaker, NYC respond to the concerns
Earlier Monday, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, chair of the Housing Committee, had a scheduled meeting with NYCHA's CEO and residents.
"We were assured that it is just steam vaper that is coming out of the temporary boiler, when someone mentioned that there might be particles or an issue and they said they would inspect it right away," Rosenthal said.
The city's Department of Environmental Protection said inspectors found no smoke issues when they responded to a complaint a few days ago.
Rosenthal said the temporary boiler will be gone by summer, but that's not alleviating Camacho's fears.
"I breathe it every day. It'll get to you. It gets to me," Camacho said. "I'm like, I'm scared. I don't know what's going on. The way it's built, I think, it was wrong [that] way."
NYCHA's response
A NYCHA spokesperson for the housing authority released the following statement to CBS News New York:
"NYCHA has been steadfast in its commitment to improve heat and hot water service for public housing residents, including boiler replacements across its vast portfolio. Amsterdam Houses is undergoing a necessary heating plant replacement, which requires mobile boilers while construction is underway," the spokesperson said. "NYCHA works in partnership with city agencies to ensure compliance and regularly meets with residents regarding this project to address any feedback and concerns. Residents in need of assistance are encouraged to call the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771or submit work tickets through the MyNYCHA application."