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by Eyewitness News' Ken Rosato
(Queens-WABC) — An early-morning house fire in Queens kills three people and critically injures three others
At this hour, investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the deadly blaze.
Eyewitness News reporter Ken Rosato is in Jamaica, Queens with the latest.
Firefighters worked all morning to try to knock down this killer fire. And tonight, investigators are still at the scene, trying to determine the cause.
From the start, this fire had "killer" written all over it. The 3-alarm blaze started early in the morning, just past 6 am, in an older house full of sleeping people.
Officials believe it started in the basement, spreading upward quickly, compromising the integrity of the floors and staircase in the process.
The windows were covered with security bars, making a quick escape impossible.
Even the closest fire hydrant couldn't be found by firefighters.
Dep. Chief Jim DiDomenico, FDNY: "The hydrant was covered with garbage bags so it was not visible to the first arriving engine, and they needed to go to the next hydrant."
The next hydrant was hundreds of feet away.
In the end, three men would lose their lives, despite the best efforts of firefighters. Luckily, seven others inside at the time survived.
Mario Alvarez, fire victim: "[Reporter: Were you awakened by the flames, by the smoke?] By the smoke--we heard the noise, and we ran outside."
Mohammed Rehman's sister also made it out alive, but lost everything.
Mohammed Rehman, fire victim's brother: "I was just looking, and nothing's left. But she is doing okay, she has two little kids."
At least three other residents were rushed to area hospitals in critical condition. And eight firefighters were hurt, including one who was treated at a nearby burn unit, and a lieutenant who fell through a burning staircase while searching for victims.
Chief Fire Marshal Louis Garcia, FDNY: "That's the stairway, going to the first and second floor, and that's where the lieutenant fell. Luckily, firefighters were able to get him out before he was seriously injured."
Fire investigators had a late start in trying to figure out the cause of this. The reason--there was still electricity being pumped into the house, as Con Ed couldn't get to the power grate to disable it. It was loaded and surrounded by snow, and garbage.
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