Bayside, Queens fire kills 3 people; FDNY investigating cause
A deadly fire in Bayside, Queens was under investigation Sunday after three people were killed during the overnight hours, the New York City Fire Department said.
More than 100 fire and EMS personnel responded to 208th Street, where the blaze tore through a two-story home in the middle of the night.
3 dead in Bayside fire
Officials confirmed three civilians died in the fire. The scene remained active hours after it was put out as officials investigated the cause.
A 56-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 54-year-old woman and 90-year-old woman were taken to the hospital before they died, the FDNY said.
"First arriving units had smoke coming out of one of the cellar windows. We had fire in the cellar, and that fire extended from the cellar up to the first floor, through the walls and a little bit into the second floor. There was a heavy smoke condition throughout the entire building. We located and removed two unconscious people from a first floor bedroom, and another victim from the cellar," Chief of Department John Esposito said in a statement posted by FDNY's X account.
The victims' names were not immediately released. Alice Brennan has lived along 208th Street for more than 50 years. She said the three were her neighbors and members of the same family.
"The mom has Alzheimer's and the daughter is handicapped, and the son was taking care of them, so it's just very sad that the three of them perish in the fire," Brennan said.
"It's devastating. You don't want this to happen in your neighborhood," area resident Maria Langrock said. "I hope they find out what happened and why it happened and we can, you know, have some closure."
"I just can't get them out of my mind. They were all good souls," neighbor Maureen Hilsdorf added.
