A four-alarm fire destroyed Queens A woman died and eight people were injured in their home on Monday, February 9, the New York Post reported. Local authorities said the injured included a young man fighting for his life.
Residents now recall the horrific scene, describing thick smoke billowing from it. flame. A shocking video of the fire has surfaced on social media.
The fire broke out on the first floor of a residential building on Dongan Avenue between Poyer Street and Broadway in Elmhurst around 6:44 p.m. New York Fire Department explain. Police said a 34-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire, while a 22-year-old man was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Five other New Yorkers and two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
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Firefighters spent Monday night working to extinguish the blaze. As the fire spread, people were carried on stretchers and into ambulances.
Residents recall what happened
Neighbor Subhash Gurung told the New York Post that he was at work when the fire broke out. When a fire broke out near his home and smoke began flooding their basement, his panicked family called him.
“My mother saw smoke coming from the basement and she screamed. That’s when everyone gathered and called 911,” Gurung said.
“One cold night, it was horrible, my apartment was filled with smoke. They told us they were going to tear everything down and I thought they were going to check my apartment,” he added. “So I have nowhere to go and I have to rely on my friends tonight.”
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Caitlin Clarke, a resident who lives nearby, recalled smelling smoke. When she looked outside, she saw huge flames engulfing homes on her street.
“I was watching the show with my mom and I opened a piece of fruit and I said, ‘Mom, do you smell smoke?'” Clark said. “I stood up and ran to the door and then there was smoke coming out of the end of the block and flames coming out of it.”
“I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time. It’s like something I saw in a history book,” she added.
It’s unclear what caused the fire. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
