New Law Requires Automatic Fire Sprinklers In NYC Businesses With Animals

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- All pet shops and facilities that house animals for 24 hours in New York City will now have to be equipped with automatic fire sprinklers.

City Council passed the legislation Thursday with just one councilman opposing it. It requires facilities to have the automatic sprinklers by December 2016.

The bill was introduced after several trapped animals were killed in fires in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

The bill's main sponsor, Councilman Corey Johnson, says the sprinklers could mean the difference between life and death.

Councilman Jumaane Williams, who represents Brooklyn and voted against the bill Thursday, says he thought it was "a great bill.''

But he says he didn't agree with the fee that would burden small pet shop owners who had difficulty complying with the legislation.

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