By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A four-alarm fire in Flushing, Queens, killed four people, including a child, on March 16, FDNY officials said.
• The blaze began in a third-floor apartment of a mixed-use building on College Point Boulevard shortly before 12:30 p.m.
• Multiple residents were injured, and several firefighters sustained minor injuries during operations.
• Neighbors reported the apartment where the fire started may have been occupied by squatters using unsafe electrical setups; the cause remains under investigation.
FLUSHING, NY — Four people, including a child, were killed in a fast-moving four-alarm fire that tore through a mixed-use building in Queens on March 16, according to the Fire Department of New York.
The fire broke out shortly before 12:30 p.m. in a third-floor apartment of a structure on College Point Boulevard near Avery Avenue. Firefighters arrived within minutes to find heavy fire conditions throughout the building, officials said.
Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a fourth died after being transported to a hospital. At least five additional civilians were hospitalized, including two in critical condition. Several occupants jumped from windows to escape the flames, and EMS personnel performed CPR on victims outside the building.
During firefighting operations, two firefighters fell through a collapsed stairway but were quickly rescued and reported in stable condition. In total, six firefighters sustained minor injuries, officials said.
Neighbors told authorities the apartment where the fire originated may have been occupied by squatters, with reports of multiple occupants using extension cords connected to a single outlet. Fire officials said approximately 230 firefighters and EMS personnel responded, bringing the blaze under control in about two hours.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.