A monolithic occurrence ripped done Queens Saturday afternoon, injuring 14 group — including 11 firefighters — and damaging aggregate buildings, leaving dozens of residents displaced, officials said.
The blaze began conscionable aft 4 p.m., astatine a two-story residence astatine 88-21 Francis Lewis Boulevard successful Queens Village, earlier quickly soaring to 5 alarms and spreading to 7 buildings, according to FDNY officials.
Over 200 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics responded to nan fire, which was brought nether power successful astir 2 hours, officials said.
“This was a very fierce fire, and it dispersed to 7 buildings and into nan rear and car shed area,” FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer said.
The 14 wounded included 11 firefighters and 3 civilians, all of whom sustained insignificant injuries, FDNY EMS Deputy Assistant Chief Grace Cacciola said.
The mostly suffered heat-related injuries and were taken to section area hospitals to beryllium treated.
Dozens of group were estimated to person been displaced, said Frederic Klein, a spokesperson pinch nan Red Cross, which was connected nan segment aiding victims.
In an alley down Francis Lewis Boulevard wherever residents parked their cars, astatine slightest 3 vehicles had been charred to a crisp.
Houses connected 207th Street, besides down Francis Lewis Boulevard, sustained harm arsenic good from nan roaring blaze.
Tasmim Abib, 17, who lives connected Francis Lewis Boulevard, said nan occurrence started connected his neighbor’s deck, earlier spreading to his family’s platform and into their home.
“It was truthful overmuch occurrence that it sewage into our house,” he said, explaining really nan blaze entered their surviving room earlier spreading and filling their location pinch heavy achromatic smoke.
Abib said he rushed retired of his location pinch 2 of 5 cats and his parents, who refused to fto him return to their location to rescue nan beloved pets near behind.
“I was crying, ‘Let maine spell wrong and prevention my cats.’ They said, ‘No, don’t spell backmost inside,'” he recalled.
“There is thing near there. Everything is gone successful nan fire.”
Abib said his mother had heard 3 explosions earlier heading extracurricular to spot nan spreading flames.
Propane tanks had exploded successful nan backmost of nan first tract of nan fire, accelerating nan blaze, FDNY officials said.
The origin of nan occurrence is still nether investigation, FDNY officials said
Additional reporting by Patrick Reilly
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