QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A 17-day-old baby girl was found dead in the rubble after a four-alarm fire engulfed a Queens home on Monday evening, according to police sources.
The newborn was missing after the blaze torched the home at 83-33 Dongan Ave. in Elmhurst at around 6:45 p.m., sources and police said. She was found Tuesday night, sources said.
While battling the inferno, firefighters rushed to the basement after it partially collapsed, killing one and leaving another missing, officials said. FDNY divers in wetsuits searched in four feet of frigid water in the basement.
Sources said 34-year-old Miguelina Alcantara was found in the basement and died at the scene. It was unclear if Alcantara was the baby girl’s mother.
Nine others were injured, including a firefighter, as a result of the incident, according to fire officials. A 22-year-old man remained hospitalized in critical condition.
The other victims were a 10-year-old girl, a 55-year-old man, a 59-year-old woman, a 60-year-old woman, and a 67-year-old woman, police said.
It was unclear if the victims were family members.
The flames quickly engulfed the building between Poyer Street and Broadway, forcing several people to jump out of the rear windows to escape, the fire chief said at the scene. Another two were rescued from the second floor.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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