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The city has issued a stop-work order at a site in Queens where a fire broke out in a building under renovation Friday evening. NY1's Candace Kelley filed the following report.
Jamaica resident Poonam Shiwraj saw the fire when it started around 6 p.m. Friday.
"There was more smoke than flames," said Shiwraj. "It was very white mixed with black smoke."
But after the fire was put out around 7:30 p.m., she went inside thinking the ordeal was over.
"I heard a big boom," she said. "And I ran out and I was like, 'What's going on?'"
As the firefighters were leaving, the structure gave way.
"A landing between the second and third floor collapsed and it was a localized collapsed," said FDNY Chief Michael Halderman. "And two members were initially pinned beneath some rubble."
But other firefighters on the scene knew where their brothers were trapped and pulled them from the rubble.
"One member has an injury was to his ankle and the other was pretty much banged up," said Halderman. "We had a third - another minor injury from earlier. All minor injuries."
All three firefighters were taken to Jamaica hospital.
Officials say the FDNY was first called to scene when the company in charge of demolishing the building was removing a door to an elevator shaft using torches and set fire to debris in the shaft.
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