This story was originally reported and published by the Times Union. Read the original Times Union article here.
The family of a man who died in a fire inside his cell at Eastern Correctional Facility is preparing to sue New York State for $50 million, alleging that failures by correction officers contributed to his death.
Marcos Alcaraz, 35, died July 18 after a fire broke out in his cell at the maximum-security prison in Ulster County. His sister, Francheska Alcaraz, has filed a notice of intention to sue the state, alleging negligence and wrongful death.
Radio Catskill spoke with Times Union reporter Sarah Trafton, who has been following the case and reporting on questions surrounding the response to the fire.
Trafton said recently released autopsy findings showed Alcaraz suffered burns over his entire body and had soot in his airway. The medical examiner classified the death as a suicide, although the cause of the fire has not been publicly disclosed by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The family, however, argues that regardless of how the fire began, Alcaraz was locked inside a cell and dependent on correction officers to rescue him.
According to Trafton’s reporting, incarcerated people housed in the same cell block said they yelled for help for several minutes before officers responded. Witnesses also alleged that officers initially failed to fully unlock Alcaraz’s cell and appeared unsure how to use nearby firefighting equipment.
The family alleges those failures contributed to Alcaraz’s death and says the state was negligent in the hiring and training of correction officers.
DOCCS has said proper fire-response protocols were followed. The circumstances surrounding the fire are also being investigated by the New York Attorney General’s Office, Trafton said.
The case has raised additional questions after one incarcerated man who spoke publicly about the fire alleged that he later faced retaliation. DOCCS has largely denied those allegations and opened an investigation into the circumstances that led to the man’s placement in solitary confinement.
Alcaraz’s family has also questioned the information it initially received about his death. Trafton said family members were first told that Alcaraz had become sick and died of natural causes and later learned about the cell fire through social media and accounts from incarcerated people inside Eastern Correctional.
The family is calling for an independent investigation into Alcaraz’s death, the response of correction officers and the prison’s fire-safety procedures.
Trafton said a central unanswered question remains how a fatal fire of this magnitude could occur inside a maximum-security prison when a person locked in a cell has no ability to evacuate on their own.
The notice of intention is not yet a lawsuit but preserves the family’s ability to bring a claim against the state.
Read Sarah Trafton’s full Times Union report: Family of man who died in Eastern prison fire to sue state for $50 million.