Tony Malkin started the fire — and his New Zealand neighbors are not happy.
The Empire State Realty Trust chairman hosted a New Year’s Eve party at his New Zealand property between Queenstown and Arrowtown. Local outlet Stuff reported the party’s fireworks display sparked a rural fire that burned more than 53,000 square feetland and blackened part of the surrounding land.
The display, estimated to cost tens of thousands of dollars, was a source of controversy before it lit the land alight.
More than 600 neighbors signed a petition opposing the event, concerned about how horses and animals would handle the lights and sounds. The Malkins offered to compensate owners for the relocation of their animals ahead of the party, but how the offer was presented is in dispute.
After Fire and Emergency NZ reviewed and approved the plans, Malkin pressed on with his fireworks. Only minutes after the clock struck midnight, volunteer firefighters responded to reports of three separate fires, one of which came within 50 feet of Malkin’s home.
It took more than two hours for firefighters to contain the blazes and authorities remained on scene until the morning to battle hotspots and monitor the land.
Party guests were forced to evacuate as the fire approached his Dalefield property, which Malkin bought in 2008 for $4.5 million. Dubbed “Redemption Song,” the property is located in a high-dollar enclave, counting actor Sam Neill among its neighbors.
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Malkin has further rattled his neighbors by not issuing an apology. A spokesperson for ESRT said it was “deeply grateful for the expert work of Fire Emergency New Zealand and the police.”
Local officials are investigating the blaze.
The incident caps off a year that saw Malkin’s office-centric REIT push into the multifamily market, acquiring a mixed-use property in Noho for $114.9 million from Broad Street Development and a real estate fund connected to Texas-based Crow Holdings Capital.
— Holden Walter-Warner