A massive four-alarm fire tore through a Queens home and injured nine people, including one critically, on Monday evening, according to FDNY officials.
The raging inferno broke out around 6:44 p.m. on the first floor of a residential building on Dongan Avenue between Poyer Street and Broadway in Elmhurst, according to the fire department.
Seven New Yorkers were injured, including one person who suffered critical injuries, one with serious injuries, and five other people with minor injuries. Two firefighters also experienced minor injuries, officials said.
Firefighters’ battle to quell the flames continued into Monday evening, with photos showing towering orange flames consuming the building and powerlines and spreading smoke to neighboring homes.
Multiple people were also spotted being taken into ambulances on stretchers as the blaze raged on.
Neighbor Subash Gurung told The Post he was at work when his family panicked and called him because the fire broke out next to his house and smoke began flooding their basement.
“My mother saw the smoke coming from the basement, and she screamed. And that’s when all the people gathered, and they called 911,” Gurung said.
“A cold night, it’s terrible, and my apartment is filled with smoke. And they’re telling us they’re just going to tear down everything, and I think they’re going to look into my apartment,” he added.
“So I don’t have nowhere to go, I’m relying on my friend tonight.”
Nearby resident Caitlin Clarke also recalled smelling smoke and looking outside to see flames engulf the home on her street.
“I was watching a show with my mom, I was opening a fruit, and then I’m like, ‘Mom, do you smell that smoke?’” Clarke said.
“I stand up and run to the door, and then there’s smoke at the end of the block with flames coming out of it,” Clarke recalled.
“I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time. This is like something I would see in my history book,” she said.
It’s not immediately clear what caused the fire. The incident remains under investigation.
Read the full article here
