Nine individuals were injured in a significant four-alarm fire at a residential building in Queens on Monday night, with one person in critical condition, according to FDNY officials.
The fire erupted around 6:44 p.m. on the first floor of a home located on Dong An Avenue, nestled between Poyer Street and Broadway in Elmhurst.
Among those hurt were seven New Yorkers—one suffered serious injuries and five others had minor ones. Additionally, two firefighters sustained minor injuries as well, officials reported.
Firefighters battled the blaze well into the night, as images from the scene captured orange flames leaping through buildings and power lines, with smoke spreading to nearby residences.
As the fire intensified, some people were seen being transported away on stretchers by ambulances.
One neighbor, Subhash Gurung, expressed panic as he was at work when his family called him about the escalating fire and smoke seeping into their basement.
“My mother saw smoke coming from the basement and screamed. That’s when we all gathered and called 911,” Gurung recounted.
He continued, “It’s a cold night, it’s terrible. My apartment is filled with smoke, and they tell us they’re going to demolish everything. I think they’re going to search my apartment. So, I don’t have anywhere to go. I’m going to ask my friends for tonight.”
Nearby resident Caitlin Clark also shared her experience of the situation, recalling how she smelled smoke and looked outside to see the house down the street engulfed in flames.
“I was watching TV with my mom, and we were opening some fruit. I suddenly said, ‘Mom, can you smell that smoke?’” Clark mentioned.
Jumping up, she ran to the door, where she saw smoke rising down the block and flames shooting out.
“I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time. This is the kind of thing I see in history books,” she reflected.
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear, and an investigation is currently ongoing.
