NYC neighborhood shaken after massive fire spreads across multiple homes, injuring 21

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Residents of a normally quiet Queens neighborhood in New York woke to thick black smoke, roaring flames, and streets packed with emergency vehicles after a fast-moving house fire spiraled into a major disaster on Saturday, July 25.

What began inside a single home quickly turned into a multi-building emergency, leaving more than 20 people injured, including nearly an entire crew of firefighters battling the inferno.

Massive fire leaves 21 injured

The blaze broke out shortly before 10 am along 41st Road near College Point Boulevard in Flushing.

By the time firefighters reached the scene, flames had already spread beyond the first home and were consuming neighboring buildings.

The emergency escalated rapidly, prompting officials to raise it to a five-alarm fire as additional crews poured into the area.

According to FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods, the closely packed homes created the perfect conditions for the fire to spread.

"These buildings were built in 1930, so they're all wood. Wood-frame buildings," Woods explained. "The walls are wood, the floors are wood, the roof is also made of wood, so fire travels very, very rapidly."

He said those construction materials made it extremely difficult for firefighters to stop the flames before they jumped from one structure to another.

Firefighters struggle to rescue residents

Officials said the fire began on the first floor of a two-story residence before extending into adjacent homes.

One resident became trapped inside as the flames intensified and had to be rescued from the building's second floor by firefighters.

More than 250 firefighters and EMS personnel responded as smoke poured into the sky, drawing crowds of worried neighbors onto nearby streets.

Videos from the scene showed towering columns of dark smoke rising above rooftops as firefighters worked from multiple angles to prevent the blaze from spreading further.

By the time the fire was brought under control, authorities confirmed that 21 people had been injured.

Seventeen of those were firefighters who suffered heat exhaustion, smoke inhalation, and other non-life-threatening injuries while battling the blaze under difficult conditions.

The most seriously injured civilian was a 78-year-old woman, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

All of the injured were transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment. The cause of the fire has not yet been announced.