9 Hurt In Early Morning House Fire In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Nine people were hurt, one seriously, in an early morning fire at a home in Queens.
The blaze broke out just before 4:30 a.m. Monday at a three-story house on Ketcham Street in Elmhurst.
"There was an advanced fire on arrival, so that was the biggest challenge," FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Jim Hodgens said.
A neighbor shot video of the fire from his cell phone and said he saw a 12-year-old girl jump from the second floor window, CBS2's Diane Macedo reported.
"We heard some screaming and I saw a kid getting out of the window, just jumping," another witness, Richard Ortiz, told WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs. "I said to my wife, 'my god, look somebody's jumping -- there's fire!'"
A friend of the family said she was at the house Sunday to pray with her 80-year-old godmother, who lives there with her daughters and grandchildren.
"She's not answering the phone so I had to drop everything and just find her, but I hope she's OK," she said.
The fire melted the siding off at least two neighboring houses and trapped some residents inside. Eman Villamin and her roommate shot video from their window as they waited for the fire department.
"I was so scared because I don't know how we could get out of the house," she said. "I was like, there's no way to get out because we could feel it was like in our face. It was too hot."
Firefighters were able to subdue the fire enough to get everyone in those neighboring houses out safely and quickly.
Fire officials said six people were hurt in the blaze. Most had smoke inhalation, but officials said one woman is in serious condition with burns to her face and abdomen. Three firefighters also suffered minor injuries. The young girl was not seriously hurt.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
