Queen’s District Hit by Two Consecutive Fires, Two People Seriously Injured, Over 30 People to be Accommodated

Over the weekend, the Queens area in New York witnessed consecutive serious fires. On Sunday morning, a fire broke out in Woodside, Queens, leaving a 7-year-old girl and her mother seriously injured. The previous day, on Saturday afternoon, a five-alarm fire ravaged Queens Village, destroying homes of seven families, with over 30 residents, including 10 children, requiring assistance from the Red Cross for temporary shelter.

The fire on Sunday, starting at 7 a.m., engulfed a two-story attached brick and wood structure on 37th Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets in Woodside. Six individuals were hospitalized, with a 7-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman rescued from the burning building in critical condition.

“It was a difficult morning for Queens,” said Michael Woods, Deputy Assistant Chief of the New York City Fire Department.

Dozens of firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to contain the blaze within an hour. Though the fire did not appear as a massive inferno from the outside, thick smoke posed challenges, resulting in minor injuries to two firefighters.

Additionally, the day prior, on Saturday afternoon, Queens Village faced a five-alarm fire that destroyed homes of seven families, causing injuries to 14 people, including 11 firefighters.

The blaze erupted at a two-story residence located at 88-21 Francis Lewis Blvd., quickly escalating to a five-alarm fire and spreading to six additional houses.

Joseph Pfeifer, the First Deputy Fire Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, stated, “This was an intense fire that spread to seven structures, including the rear of the buildings and garage areas.”

The hot weather conditions made firefighting efforts challenging. John Esposito, Director of Operations for the New York City Fire Department, mentioned, “Multiple floors of multiple buildings were on fire. It was a very challenging fire operation to extinguish. It’s very hot, very humid today, and it’s taking a toll on our firefighters.”

Eleven firefighters and three civilians sustained minor injuries, mostly related to the heat.

Over 30 residents, including 22 adults and 10 children, needed placement assistance. The Red Cross provided emergency aid, including temporary housing and financial support, to those affected.