It’s been well over a month since a five-alarm fire consumed a four-story warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn, that had long been a rare affordable haven for many independent artist studios.

But tenants are now not only unsure of the building’s future but also of its present: Access since the fire has been extremely limited, and some haven't been allowed back in even once, leaving them unsure what – if any – of their in some case’s life’s work is recoverable.

If fire damage were the only concern, access might feel less urgent, but firefighters used “the equivalent of 10 continuous years of rainfall” to put out the blaze, said 12-year building tenant Justin Neely , a “polyglot artist” whose work prominently features contour drawing and collage.

Although Neely's studio wasn't damaged by t

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