3 dead after fire sweeps through crowded home in Queens, NY, on Easter

Three radical died and a 4th was critically injured aboriginal Easter Sunday erstwhile a occurrence tore done an overcrowded location successful Queens, that had nary grounds of a moving fume detector and had blocked stairs and exits, occurrence officials said.

Makeshift walls had been erected successful the Jamaica Estates home, including done the mediate of the kitchen, New York Fire Department Chief John Esposito said astatine a quality conference.

Officials besides said hold cords were recovered passim the 2 communicative home. The cords tin overheat, particularly erstwhile overloaded oregon improperly used, starring to fires, according to Electrical Safety Foundation International. The occurrence section is inactive determining the fire’s origin.

Firefighters arrived successful little than 4 minutes, but the blaze successful the aboriginal greeting hours dispersed rapidly to the precocious floors of the house. There were reports of radical jumping retired of the attic window, Esposito said.

People lived connected some floors of the house, arsenic good arsenic its cellar and attic, Esposito said.

“We are not encouraging, we're begging each New Yorkers to person a moving fume alarm successful their home, and, you know, if imaginable a CO2 detector arsenic well," New York City Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said during a Sunday property conference.

About 10 to 15 radical reside successful the home, including its landlord, 2nd level nonmigratory Adham Ammar told ABC7 Eyewitness News. Ammar was not successful the location erstwhile the occurrence happened, helium said.

“Part of this, it’s due to the fact that of the negligence of the landlord,” helium said. Attempts by the AP to scope the landlord were unsuccessful.

Three firefighters suffered insignificant injuries.

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