NEW YORK -- A deadly fire in Queens Tuesday is now being investigated as incendiary after police said a 26-year-old man’s body was found with stab wounds in the apartment where the fire began.
FDNY officials said they responded to reports of an explosion at 41st Avenue and 74th Street in Jackson Heights at about 10:30 a.m.
Residents said they heard a slow rumble, then a loud boom, according to WABC.
The sole victim, resident Anesti Bulgaretsi, was found with knife wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. Police sources told the New York Post that the person responsible for Bulgaretsi's death then set off the explosion that led to a four-alarm fire.
Fire crews arrived to see the explosion happened in the building's penthouse above the sixth floor. Officials said there was heavy damage to the apartment and damage to an outside wall.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries, FDNY officials said.
The fire forced the evacuation of 40 households, according to the Red Cross, which is helping 44 people thus far.
