Queens house fire kills 3; officials cite blocked exits and no smoke detectors
Fire inside Queens home leaves 3 dead
Three people are dead, and another is in critical condition, after a fire at a home in Queens, the FDNY said.
QUEENS - Three people died, and another person was in critical condition, after a fire tore through an overcrowded home on Easter Sunday in Queens, the FDNY said.
What we know:
According to fire officials, the blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. at the Jamaica Estates home, which they said had no evidence of a working smoke detector and had blocked stairs and exits.
Makeshift walls had been erected in the home, including through the middle of the kitchen, New York Fire Department Chief John Esposito said at a news conference.
Officials also said extension cords were found throughout the two-story home. The cords can overheat, especially when overloaded or improperly used, leading to fires, according to Electrical Safety Foundation International.
Firefighters arrived in less than four minutes, but the blaze spread quickly to the upper floors of the house. There were reports of people jumping out of the attic window, Esposito said.
People lived on both floors of the house, as well as its cellar and attic, Esposito said.
Four firefighters and four others suffered minor injuries.
What they're saying:
"So when our units arrived, they had fire out the windows on the first floor. The fire had extended to the second floor and attic and these were all living spaces. There were makeshift walls," Esposito said. "Exits blocked, stairways blocked."
What we don't know:
The cause of the fire was unknown at the time.