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New York Post
Girl, 7, and mom critical after second major NYC fire in two days
By Amanda Woods, Valentina Jaramillo, Joe Marino, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon,
2024-08-04
A Queens fire left a 7-year-old girl and her mom critically hurt and two Bravest hospitalized Sunday — the day after a borough blaze gutted a string of homes and injured four, including a pair of firefighters.
The child and her 29-year-old mother were pulled from the house fire on 37th Road in Jackson Heights around 7:15 am, officials said.
“A difficult morning in Queens,” said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Woods. “Our dispatch office started receiving calls for a first-floor fire at 68-08 37th Road. We had units on scene within 3 minutes.
“The fire was confined to the first floor,” Woods said. “We had about 60 firefighters on scene and about 20 medical personnel here. The fire was brought under control in about an hour.”
Fire officials said the youngster and her mom were critically injured but expected to survive.
Another four people were injured, including two firefighters, and all are in stable condition at area hospitals, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The blaze occurred as fire inspectors continued to comb through the rubble of a five-alarm Saturday afternoon inferno in Queens Village that gutted seven homes, injured four people and displaced more than 30 residents, officials said. No cause of the fire has yet been released.
Law-enforcement sources said four people were injured — including two firefighters — but were not seriously hurt in the flames. Fire officials had earlier reported 14 injured, including 11 of New York’s Bravest.
That fire, at 88-21 Francis Lewis Blvd., began just after 4 p.m. Saturday and ultimately had more than 200 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics working the scene.
“It happened quick,” a burned-out resident told The Post on Sunday. “The wind was blowing hard and just swept everything in this direction.
“I looked out the window and heard crackling, and that’s when I saw the smoke from behind the house,” the man said. “Everyone was already outside.”
Law-enforcement sources confirmed that gusty winds fueled and spread the fire through all homes, which share a cockloft, or space between the ceiling of their highest room and their roofs, which linked all of the buildings and led to a blow-torch effect.
Some of the destroyed homes’ residents returned to the scene Sunday to gather what personal items they could salvage.
“We’re here collecting some belongings that we can,” said a resident who only identified himself as Pavi. “We got some shoes. We’ll buy some more.”
A restoration company was also at the scene securing the site.
“Next steps on for now is to seal and secure the property,” said Joel Urena, 38, of East Coast Restoration. “We’re gonna wrap up the house. We’re gonna secure the property from further damages, and that’s about it until the investigation is over. The Fire Department’s still investigating.”
For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/
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