Easter House Fire in Queens Kills 3

A fire swept through a crowded Queens home in the early hours of Easter Sunday, killing three men and critically injuring a fourth. Officials said the house, located in Jamaica Estates, did not appear to have a working smoke detector, and that stairs and exits had been blocked, the AP reports. Per the New York Daily News, the home had been illegally converted. Makeshift walls, including one in the kitchen, had been erected, increasing fire hazards, officials said. The home was also overcrowded, with 10 to 15 residents, and extension cords—which can overheat—were found throughout the home. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Residents were reportedly living in makeshift apartments on the cellar, first, second, and attic floors of the home.

Firefighters arrived in less than four minutes to find flames shooting out of first-story windows, and the fire spread quickly to the upper floors. Some residents reportedly jumped out of the attic window. "Part of this, it's because of the negligence of the landlord," says a second-floor resident who was not home when the fire broke out. "We are not encouraging, we're begging all New Yorkers to have a working smoke alarm in their home," the fire commissioner said after the tragedy. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)