A 78-year-old woman died and 22 other victims, including more than a dozen firefighters, were injured after a huge fire ripped through a Queens home the morning of July 25. According to a report in the New York Daily News, the fire erupted on the first floor of a two-story home on College Point Boulevard near 41st Road in Flushing. It then spread to two adjoining buildings, FDNY officials said. They said when firefighters arrived, two of the wood-framed buildings were fully engulfed in flames and the fire was spreading to a third building.
Ongoing Investigations of Fires
A 78-year-old woman, who was a tenant, suffered critical injuries and was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens where she died, officials said. Another tenant suffered minor injuries. Seventeen firefighters and three emergency personnel were also taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The injuries to the firefighters ranged from heat exhaustion to minor strains and sprains, FDNY officials said. At least 12 residents have been displaced and were either staying with relatives or with lodging provided by the Red Cross, the Daily News reported. Fire Marshals are still looking into what caused this fire.
This fatal blaze comes just two days after a 62-year-old man was killed in an apartment fire in Brooklyn. In that incident, the blaze erupted on the second of a two-story home on Belmont Avenue near Atkins Avenue in East New York the morning of July 23. Medics rushed the victim to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The investigation into that fire is also ongoing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and with all those injured or affected, including the firefighters and emergency responders.
Liability Issues in Fires
When a fire causes injuries, deaths and severe damage, several parties may be held financially responsible, depending on the cause and circumstances of the accident.
• Property owners and/or managers can be held responsible if they fail to maintain safe premises, repair hazardous conditions or fail to comply with fire safety regulations such as installing and maintaining smoke detectors.
• Manufacturers or distributors of defective products such as faulty electrical appliances or smoke detectors, can also be held liable for injuries and damages caused.
• Contractors, electricians or maintenance companies can be held accountable if negligent (careless) electrical or maintenance work caused the fire.
• Utility companies (gas, electric, etc.) can be held responsible if their failure to maintain or repair lines, equipment, etc. caused the fire.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Whether you have been living as a tenant at a private apartment complex or in a public housing unit (NYCHA) (the Projects), please remember that you have legal rights. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of dangerous conditions, the very experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact a very experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
For over 54 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of assisting injured victims. One of our clients — a hot water burn victim — secured $750,000 in damages and we got $2,250,000 for another hot water burn victim from the property owner and manager. Our firm also obtained a $985,000 settlement out of a $1 million insurance policy for two people who suffered smoke inhalation injuries because the homeowner did not have smoke detectors installed and the $15,000 that was left on the insurance policy was for a person that we did not represent. Another of our clients recovered $2,500,000 due to a faulty space heater. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases, negligence cases, motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, trip-and-fall accidents, ceiling collapse cases, lead poisoning, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source:https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/07/25/woman-78-in-critical-several-hurt-after-massive-blaze-rips-through-queens-home/