By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A four-alarm fire in Flushing, Queens, New York City, killed three people and injured nine, including five firefighters, officials said.
• The blaze was reported just before 12:30 p.m. March 16 in a multi-story building with residential units above commercial space.
• Fire crews initially encountered heavy fire on all three floors and rescued a trapped occupant before a staircase collapse briefly trapped two firefighters.
• All firefighters were extricated and transported to hospitals in stable condition; the cause of the fire is under investigation.
FLUSHING, NY — Three people were killed and nine others injured, including five firefighters, after a four-alarm fire erupted March 16 at a multi-story building on College Point Boulevard in the Queens borough of New York City, fire officials said.
The fire was reported just before 12:30 p.m. in a structure housing apartments above commercial space, and crews arriving on scene encountered heavy fire conditions across all three floors of the building, according to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).
As flames spread, three occupants jumped from upper floors and another person was trapped on the second floor before being rescued with a portable ladder, officials said.
While advancing from the first floor, an interior staircase collapsed, briefly trapping two firefighters. Additional crews extricated the trapped members, and a 1066 signal was transmitted to summon more resources, FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said.
The injured included two adults, one child, and five firefighters, all of whom were taken to area hospitals in stable condition. Fire crews brought the blaze under control later in the afternoon.
FDNY officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.