Atlantic City condo owners in financial limbo months after high-rise fire

Condo owners at Atlantic City's Brighton Towers say they're losing money as unfinished fire safety upgrades prevent new residents from moving in.

The Details

• By
• Ted Greenberg
• Published November 12, 2026
• Updated on
• November 12, 2026 at

Nearly 10 months after a major fire tore through an Atlantic City high-rise, some condo owners say they're trapped in a financial nightmare, unable to rent or sell their units while continuing to pay hundreds of dollars in monthly expenses.

The fire at Brighton Towers on Atlantic Avenue sent flames shooting out of windows and spreading through three floors. While some apartments escaped damage, the building's unfinished fire safety upgrades are preventing new residents from moving in.

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“I’m trapped. I can’t even sell my unit. I can’t rent it,” said condo owner David Eaton.

Eaton's 12th-floor unit wasn't damaged by the fire, but it remains vacant. He said he's still paying more than $900 a month in condo fees, plus insurance and property taxes, without collecting any rental income.

“It hurts every month,” Eaton said.

Fire safety system delays new occupancy permits

According to Atlantic City officials, Brighton Towers does not have a working fire safety system. Until that system is operational, the city will not issue new occupancy permits, preventing new residents from moving into the building.

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Chilly, breezy weekend ahead with a chance of flurries Philadelphia International Airport FAA lifts nationwide ground stop after experiencing ‘instability' on Friday “As s soon as they get their fire system up and running then we can have occupancy permits issued,” said Dale Finch, Atlantic City's director of licensing and inspections.

The building's property manager said a new, state-of-the-art fire alarm system is 95% installed, but an unresolved insurance issue is delaying its completion. There is no firm timeline for when the system will be operational.

The property manager also said exterior repairs finally began this week.

“They’re not doing the job near as fast as they could and it’s really screwing up everybody that lives here,” said condo owner Lyn Singleton.

Existing residents remain as repairs continue

Security guards have been conducting a 24-hour fire watch at Brighton Towers since January. Residents who were already living in undamaged apartments were allowed to remain in the building.

Real estate agent Todd Gordon, of Hartman HomeTeam at Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach, owns one of those units. He said his tenant is frustrated by the building's condition.

“She’s calling me every day and saying, 'I want to leave, I want to leave,'” Gordon said.

The current property management team was not in place when the fire occurred. The property manager told NBC10 off-camera that previous management failed to follow through with repairs in the months immediately after the fire.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.