Queens House Fire Leaves Three People Dead; Series of Fires in NYC

Three members of a Queens family died as a fire ripped through their home the morning of Feb. 16. According to a report on AMNY.com, FDNY said the blaze ignited inside a residence in the 3300 block of 208th Street between 33rd and 34th Avenues in Bayside. FDNY Department Chief John Esposito said the first responding units spotted heavy smoke emanating from the basement of the 208th Street residence. He said the fire was in the cellar and that the flames extended from the cellar up to the first floor through the walls and into the second floor. There was heavy smoke through the entire building, he said.

Firefighters located two unconscious people in a first-floor bedroom and a third unconscious person in the basement. Police said the victims were a 56-year-old man and two women, ages 54 and 90. Media outlets reported that the two people in their 50s were grown children of the elderly woman who lived in the home. We offer our deepest condolences to the family members of these victims for their tragic loss. They will be in our thoughts and fires. The investigation into cause of the fatal fire in Queens is still ongoing.

Series of Fires in New York City

Sunday’s fatal fire is one in a series of building fires that have claimed lives and caused injuries over the last week.

NBC News reported that four people were injured in an early morning fire on Feb. 17 in an apartment building 247 Wadsworth Avenue, in Washington Heights. Two were transported to a hospital and two others were evaluated at the scene.

• A fire at a Buddhist temple in the Bronx left two people dead, including a Buddhist monk and a visitor, AP reports. The fire broke out early morning on Feb. 12 and caused damage to the small temple as well as a residence for four monks in a home next door. Fire officials said a space heater may have triggered the fire.
• A fire that burned for over an hour in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, left nine people injured, including three firefighters, according to FDNY. Pix11 reports that the blaze broke out the morning of Feb. 14 at a three-story home on Eastern Parkway between Brooklyn and New York avenues.
• Fifteen people, including three firefighters, were injured after a massive fire the morning of Feb. 14 ripped through a Brooklyn dormitory used to house yeshiva students, the New York Post reports. The fire broke out on the second and third floors of a three-story brownstone on Eastern Parkway near New York Avenue in Crown Heights, officials said.

Premises Liability Issues

New York City laws require property owners and/or property managers to maintain spaces that are safe for tenants, visitors and guests. Property owners/managers are required to provide, install and maintain smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in each unit. The devices should also be maintained and remain in good working order.

When a fire or accident at a building is caused by negligence (carelessness) or a lack of property maintenance, the property owners/managers may be held liable for the injuries and loss of life that occurs. Injured victims or families of deceased victims can file a premises liability claim against the responsible parties including, but not limited to, the property owner, property manager, maintenance/repair company, etc.

Injured victims in such cases can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families that have lost loved ones can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.

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 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. For over 53 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 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, lead poisoning 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.

Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:

1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES

Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com

Source: https://www.amny.com/news/queens-house-fire-family-dead-02162025/