16 Firefighters Among 21 Injured in Queens Apartment Fire
A Queens apartment fire has injured 21 people, including 16 firefighters, and displaced hundreds of residents.
About 400 firefighters responded to the the blaze that started Tuesday afternoon on the six-story building’s top floor, WABC-TV reported. Sixteen hours later, firefighters were still battling the flames.
Two of the injured firefighters were left with burns that were not life-threatening. One resident was taken to a hospital.
About 240 residents were displaced.
The New York City Fire Department says an open door helped spread the fire, ABC7 reported.
“The door was open,” said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “The occupant fled, left the door open. We’ve stressed over the years the seriousness of that if you do unfortunately have a fire in your home or apartment, how important it is to close that door. The fire out to the hallway, the units were unable to make a quick advance. What we see here is now a 7th alarm, possibly could have been avoided.”
People managed to flee the burning building by rushing out through the fire escapes.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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