3 children among 5 dead in New York house fire

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Sunday, April 23, 2017
5 dead, including 3 children in Queens house fire
Candace McCowan has the latest from Queens Village.

QUEENS VILLAGE, Queens -- A catastrophic fire broke out Sunday in a two-story home in Queens, killing at least five people, including three children. Mayor Bill de Blasio says it is New York City's deadliest fire in two years.

The fire broke out in a house on 112-16 208th Street in Queens Village just after 2:30 p.m. The fire also spread to an adjacent home - that home was damaged, but no one was home at the time.

The three-alarm fire took hours to get under control. No firefighters were seriously injured.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro says that the youngest victim of the fire is believed to be two years old, and the oldest victim is believed to be 21 years old. A 46-year-old man came out of the second-floor window of the home. He is currently in fair condition. All of the victims were from the same family.

"This is a terrible and sad time," Commissioner Nigro said.

Distraught family members showed up to the scene asking 'why would God let this happen?'

It is unclear how the fire started. Mayor Bill de Blasio says there are still many 'unanswered questions.' Commissioner Nigro says that fire marshals will work to determine the cause.

Stay with abc7NY for the latest updates.