Queens House Fire Leaves 3 Dead, 8 Hurt: FDNY

QUEENS, NY — Three people are dead after a massive fire swept through a home in Queens, fire officials said. The blaze began late Saturday in the Queens Village neighborhood, near 211th Street and 93rd Avenue, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Gala Jr. told reporters.

Firefighters arrived at the 2 1/2 story home in under four minutes, Gala said. It was a frame building with a "heavy fire condition in the basement, first and second floor," he added. Firefighters were told numerous people were trapped.

"We had 11 total patients," Gala said.

Four people were rushed to a hospital in "extremely critical condition," he said. An 82-year-old woman, an 87-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman died of their injuries at local hospitals.

Seven more people were seriously hurt but are expected to survive.

An 8-year-old girl and two men, ages 53 and 56, were hospitalized in critical condition.

Four men, ages 45, 34, 22 and 18, are in stable condition at local hospitals, along with a 6-year-old boy.

"This fire last night did tax our resources," Gala said. "It required a third alarm assignment to bring the fire under control."

It took firefighters two hours to bring the fire under control.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

"Nothing right now is pointing to that being suspicious, but our fire marshals remain on the scene in Queens Village," Gala said.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Ciara McCarthy/Patch