86-year-old woman killed, 3 others hurt in Rego Park, Queens fire
NEW YORK -- A house fire in Queens Tuesday night claimed the life of an elderly woman who lived inside.
Neighbors are remembering her as a wonderful person.
"Suddenly I head something exploding, like an explosion and right away, flames were up to the roof," neighbor Ana Paulino.
Paulino described the moment her neighbor's Rego Park home caught fire Tuesday evening, just before 11 p.m. Video from a Ring camera caught the intense moments.
An 86-year-old woman was trapped inside, authorities said. Paulino said her adult son, who also lived there, screamed for help outside.
"He kept crying, saying 'My mom, my mom,'" Paulino said.
Firefighters battled the blaze quickly as it consumed the two-story home at 85-48 66th Avenue, leaving it gutted.
"All units responded, they were here within five minutes, met with heavy fire on both the first and second floor on the private dwelling," FDNY Deputy Chief Christopher Paolicelli said.
The FDNY confirmed the elderly woman died at the scene.
Neighbors said she lived in the house since the 1960s, so they've known her for decades.
"She spent most of her life there," one neighbor said. "She was an amazing individual. She had so much energy. She's a cancer survivor, but she used to ride her bike every day into Manhattan."
The neighbors said her health had started to deteriorate recently, and she needed a wheelchair to get around.
"Up to that point, she was a ball of energy," a neighbor said.
"Nice lady. Quiet. Friendly," Edward Skieber of Rego Park said.
Fire officials said a 54-year-old man was also injured in the fire and taken to the burn unit of a nearby hospital. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
One neighbor said a garbage man who stopped by the scene to see what happened started to cry when he heard the woman died.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.