By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A four-alarm house fire in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York City, killed one person and injured at least 10 others Monday evening.
• Fire Department of New York units responded to the blaze, which began around 6:44 p.m. on Dongan Avenue.
• More than 200 firefighters and EMS personnel battled the fire, which spread to an adjacent home and caused a collapse.
• At least one adult and a child were among the injured; a 22-year-old man was reported in critical condition.
• Fire marshals and city agencies are investigating the fire’s origin and circumstances.
QUEENS, NY — A four-alarm residential fire in the Elmhurst section of Queens on Monday evening killed one person and injured at least 10 others, including civilians and a firefighter, New York City officials said.
The Fire Department of New York received reports of flames in a subdivided house on Dongan Avenue near Broadway at about 6:44 p.m. Monday and escalated the response to a four-alarm fire as conditions worsened and the blaze spread to a neighboring home.
More than 230 FDNY firefighters and EMS personnel fought the blaze, battling heavy fire conditions in near-freezing temperatures and bringing it under control in the early morning hours. Portions of the original structure collapsed during firefighting operations, officials said.
A 34-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and at least one person remained unaccounted for Tuesday morning, authorities reported. A 22-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition, and several others, including a child and one firefighter, were treated for injuries ranging from serious to minor.
Fire marshals and city investigators are reviewing the cause of the fire and the sequence of events that led to the fatality and multiple injuries, with further updates expected as the inquiry continues.