A massive fire ripped through Queens Saturday afternoon, injuring 14 people — including 11 firefighters — and damaging multiple buildings, leaving dozens of residents displaced, officials said.
The blaze began just after 4 p.m., at a two-story residence at 88-21 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens Village, before quickly soaring to five alarms and spreading to seven buildings, according to FDNY officials.
Over 200 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics responded to the fire, which was brought under control in about two hours, officials said.
“This was a very fierce fire, and it spread to seven buildings and into the rear and garage area,” FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer said.
The 14 wounded included 11 firefighters and three civilians, all of whom sustained minor injuries, FDNY EMS Deputy Assistant Chief Grace Cacciola said.
The majority suffered heat-related injuries and were taken to local area hospitals to be treated.
Dozens of people were estimated to have been displaced, said Frederic Klein, a spokesman with the Red Cross, which was on the scene aiding victims.
The organization said it had registered seven households — consisting of 22 adults and 10 children — for emergency assistance, including temporary lodging and financial assistance.
In an alley behind Francis Lewis Boulevard where residents parked their cars, at least three vehicles had been charred to a crisp.
Houses on 207th Street, also behind Francis Lewis Boulevard, sustained damage as well from the roaring blaze.
Tasmim Abib, 17, who lives on Francis Lewis Boulevard, said the fire started on his neighbor’s deck, before spreading to his family’s deck and into their home.
“It was so much fire that it got into our house,” he said, explaining how the blaze entered their living room before spreading and filling their home with thick black smoke.
Abib said he rushed out of his home with two of five cats and his parents, who refused to let him return to their home to rescue the beloved pets left behind.
“I was crying, ‘Let me go inside and save my cats.’ They said, ‘No, don’t go back inside,’” he recalled.
“There is nothing left there. Everything is gone in the fire.”
Abib said his mother had heard three explosions before heading outside to see the spreading flames.
Propane tanks had exploded in the back of the initial site of the fire, accelerating the blaze, FDNY officials said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, FDNY officials said
Additional reporting by Patrick Reilly
