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The owners of the building at 67 70th St. -- Jose Puma, 49, and his wife Maria, 50 -- were arrested Wednesday. Jose Puma has been charged with insurance fraud and violating of law intended to protect public health and safety. Maria Puma was also charged with the latter offense.
They are scheduled to appear in court Monday.
The fire broke out May 20 and left a woman, 26, with severe burns. The woman is in critical but stable condition at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
The cause of the fire is still unknown but investigators discovered the fire started in one of the three illegal apartments, the prosecutor's office said. Jose Puma lied and said only two families were living in the building and it was not being used for business purposes, according to authorities.
Investigators also allegedly found numerous code violations, including a lack of smoke detectors and no adequate means of emergency escape.
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