By Emma Seiwell and Nicholas Williams
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — A 78-year-old woman died and 22 others, including more than a dozen firefighters, were injured after a massive blaze ripped through a Queens home Saturday morning, police and FDNY officials said.
Flames erupted about 9:50 a.m. on the first floor of the two-story home on College Point Blvd. near 41st Road in Flushing, before spreading to two adjoining buildings, FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said.
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“This building is a two-story wood frame building in a row of five,” Woods said during a press conference at the scene. “Upon our arrival, two of the buildings were fully involved and the fire was extending to a third building. We moved in with multiple hand lines, very aggressively and very deliberately.”
The fire raged for most of the morning as firefighters tried their best to fight the flames back. The fire ultimately reached a fifth alarm, which brought roughly 270 first responders to the scene.
Photos posted to social media by the FDNY show heavy smoke billowing from the roof. Other videos show heavy flames shooting through the roof as firefighters doused the blaze from outside.
“Many, many lives were saved over the proper position of those hose lines,” he said. “Our members did a great job to prevent (the fire) from extending to additional buildings.”
Firefighters receiving a “report of people trapped in this building” managed to get above the fire to the second floor where, “under high heat and zero visibility” they managed to find one of the two injured building residents, Woods said.
It was not immediately clear if the rescued tenant was the 78-year-old woman who suffered serious injuries and was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens, where she died.
Another tenant suffered minor injuries, FDNY officials said. In addition, 17 firefighters and three EMS members were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries.
FDNY injuries ranged from heat exhaustion to minor strains and sprains, Woods said.
The fire was placed under control at around 1:45 p.m.
Woods said the row of homes were nearly 100 years old and made of wood, so the fire spread quite rapidly.
“The walls are wood, the floors are wood and roof is wood, so the fire traveled very rapidly,” Woods said, adding that the fire gutted at least two of the buildings.
At least 12 residents have been displaced and were either staying with relatives or with lodging provided by the Red Cross.
Fire Marshals have been tasked with finding out what sparked the fire.
The fatal blaze comes two days after a 62-year-old man died in an apartment fire in Brooklyn.
That blaze erupted on the second floor of a two-story home on Belmont Ave. near Atkins Ave. in East New York at about 11:00 a.m. Thursday, cops said.
Roughly 80 firefighters responded to the building, where they discovered the victim unconscious and unresponsive.
Medics rushed the victim to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 11:55 a.m., according to cops. His name was not immediately disclosed.
The smoke eaters brought the flames under control within 35 minutes, officials said. Fire marshals were still working to determine what sparked the fire.
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