A major fire broke out in Queens on Saturday afternoon, injuring 14 people, damaging multiple buildings and leaving dozens of residents displaced, according to authorities. The blaze began around 4 p.m. at a two-story residence on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens Village before escalating rapidly to five alarms, eventually consuming seven buildings.
The FDNY dispatched over 200 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics to the scene, who managed to bring the fire under control within approximately two hours. This was a very fierce fire,” said FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer, “and it spread to seven buildings and into the rear and garage area.
Among the 14 injured were eleven firefighters and three civilians, all of whom suffered minor injuries, according to FDNY EMS Deputy Assistant Chief Grace Cacciola. The majority sustained heat-related injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment.
The Red Cross, which was on site providing assistance to the victims, estimated that dozens of people had been displaced by the fire. The organization registered seven households – comprising 22 adults and ten children – for emergency aid, including temporary lodging and financial assistance.
At least three vehicles parked in an alley behind Francis Lewis Boulevard were charred beyond recognition due to the intense heat of the blaze. Houses on 207th Street, also located behind Francis Lewis Boulevard, sustained significant damage from the fire as well.
Tasmim Abib, a 17-year-old resident living on Francis Lewis Boulevard, described how the fire started on his neighbor’s deck before spreading to his family’s deck and eventually their home. It was so much fire that it got into our house,” he said, explaining how the blaze entered their living room before filling their home with thick black smoke.
Abib managed to escape the burning building with two of his family’s five cats, but his parents refused to let him go back inside to rescue the remaining pets. I was crying, ‘Let me go inside and save my cats.’ They said, ‘No, don’t go back inside,'” he recalled.
Abib’s mother reported hearing three explosions before stepping outside to witness the rapidly spreading flames. Propane tanks exploded in the rear of the initial site of the fire, fueling the blaze and contributing to its quick spread across multiple buildings.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by FDNY officials. Additional reporting by Patrick Reilly.
