WOODHAVEN, Queens (PIX11)– Several families are homeless after an afternoon fire swept through three homes on 76th Street off 85th Drive in Woodhaven, Queens.
The FDNY received the call around 3:57 p.m. Tuesday about flames shooting from the roof of one of the houses. Deputy Chief Bob Sputh said a third alarm was called as the fire spread to two other homes. He added, “It makes it extremely hard to operate efficiently when it’s this hot.”
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Daden Ghising, 18, said she was inside her bedroom in one of the homes when “my friends were outside in the backyard, and they told me there was a fire. I thought they were joking. Within a minute it already started, like the flames were really scary and it started going a lot.” Ghising managed to run back inside and rescue her dog.
Ellie, who didn’t share her last name, said her sister isn’t as lucky, as the family’s two cats died in the fire.
Wiping away tears, she said, “I just want to make sure my family is okay, has a place to live, make sure she has everything, all we’re trying to do is help her out.”
Five people were injured, including three firefighters.
The American Red Cross has registered four households, including 11 individuals (ten adults and one child), for emergency assistance, such as short-term financial relief and making sure everyone has a safe place to stay as they begin to recover.
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