A massive fire broke out in Queens on Saturday afternoon, injuring 14 people, including 11 firefighters, damaging multiple buildings and forcing dozens of residents to evacuate, according to authorities.
The fire broke out just after 4 p.m. in a two-story home at 88-21 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens Village and quickly escalated to a five-alarm fire and spread to seven buildings, FDNY officials said.
More than 200 firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical personnel responded to the blaze, which was put out in about two hours, officials said.
“It was a very intense fire that spread through seven buildings and the rear and garage areas,” FDNY First Deputy Chief Joseph Pfeiffer said.
The 14 injured included 11 firefighters and three civilians, all of whom suffered minor injuries, FDNY EMS Deputy Chief Grace Casciola said.
Most of the people suffered heatstroke and were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Frederick Klein, a Red Cross spokesman at the scene helping victims, said dozens of people were estimated to have been evacuated.
At least three cars were found charred in an alleyway behind Francis Lewis Street, where residents had parked their cars.
A home on 207th Street behind Francis Lewis Boulevard was similarly damaged by the raging flames.
Tasmim Aviv, 17, of Francis Lewis Boulevard, said the fire started on a neighbor’s deck, then spread to her family’s deck and into her own home.
“The fire was so strong it was burning inside the house,” he said, describing how flames entered the living room and spread, filling the home with thick, black smoke.
Aviv said he fled the house with his parents, who wouldn’t let him return home to rescue the beloved pets they left behind, and two of their five cats.
“I was crying, ‘Let me go in and help my cat,’ and they said, ‘No, don’t go back in,'” he recalled.
“There’s nothing left there. Everything was lost in the fire.”
Aviv said he heard three explosions before his mother went outside and saw the flames spreading.
FDNY officials said a propane tank exploded behind the initial fire scene, accelerating the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, FDNY officials said.
Additional reporting by Patrick Reilly
