NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A fire at a Queens home that spread to the building next door on Monday morning sent six people to the hospital, including two firefighters, the FDNY said.
Fire officials responded to 62-53 60th Road, between Fresh Pond Road and Mount Olive Crescent, at 11:52 a.m. on Monday, officials said.
According to a post on X by the FDNY at 12:56 p.m., “units arrived to find fire on the second and third floors.”
Information released by the FDNY’s public information office later in the day stated that the fire was on the first and second floors, but fire marshals are still investigating the cause and origin of the flames.
The blaze was classified as a 3-alarm fire, and 33 units comprised of 138 firefighters and medical personnel responded, the FDNY said.
FDNY Deputy Chief John Sarrocco said at a press conference Monday that “Units responded in approximately four minutes and found heavy fire in that fire building. The fire also extended to the building on the right, which we call exposure four, throughout both buildings.”
Tiffany, a neighbor, told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 that she screamed for help as she watched her friend and her children, ages 5 and 9, trying to escape the fire.
“And the kids and her were climbing out through the window on the roof right here to the second floor, trying to escape the smoke, because they couldn’t come down the main entrance,” she said.
Sarrocco said that firefighters stretched multiple hand lines into the fire building, and confirmed that there were kids in the home.
“The kids were rescued by members at the initial stages of the fire,” Sarrocco said.
Three victims were transported with minor injuries to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and another civilian was transported to Wyckoff Hospital Medical Center, also with minor injuries.
A fifth civilian refused medical attention at the scene, officials said.
Two firefighters were injured, one of which suffered a minor burn and was transported to New York-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment. The second was transported with a minor injury to Wyckoff Hospital Medical Center.
The ages of all those injured was not immediately clear.
Sarrocco said that one firefighter was injured due to a “Partial collapse in the floor. And he fell through the floor into the basement. But he’s fine.”
Survivors of the fire were able to recover a religious statue from the wreckage.
The flames were under control by 1:38 p.m., and the cause of the fire is under investigation, the FDNY said.