Queens Apartment Building Fire Injures 6; Investigation Underway Into Cause

Six people were injured after a fire broke out Tuesday evening at an apartment building in Queens, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

At least two people managed to jump from the second floor of the three-story building where the fire broke.

Reports of fire came from 23rd Avenue in Astoria at around 8 p.m, following which 12 units and 60 firefighters responded to the scene, the New York Post reported.

Upon reaching the site, firefighters found flames coming out of the windows of the building. They rescued four people, including a woman and her newborn baby, who were trapped on a fire escape in the back of the building, FDNY Deputy Chief Mark Cuccurullo told the outlet.

Firefighters first retrieved the baby from the fire escape, and then helped the mother, he added.

Five of the six injured were immediately taken to local hospitals for treatment. Officials treated the sixth person at the scene, local news said. Firefighters took about 30 minutes to fully extinguish the blaze.

According to a witness, one man slipped and broke his leg while climbing down a fire escape in order to save himself from the blaze.

People even tried to catch the man after he fell down the fire escape. "He just fell and people were yelling and crying," resident Steve Foustanellas said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and an investigation is currently underway.

In another incident, a 57-year-old woman died after getting stuck in a house fire in Oneida County. The fire broke out Monday night in the town of Lee, according to a news release issued by officials. A preliminary investigation revealed 20-year-old Carley Reed called 911 after escaping the burning residence. She then informed the officials that her mother, Loretta Reed, was inside the residence and bedridden due to an illness. When the troopers arrived on the scene, they discovered a fully engulfed house fire. "Loretta Reed was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene. Carley was not injured in the fire," the release added.