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A 5-year-old Queens boy died Thursday in a fire that broke out after he had apparently been left alone in his family's locked apartment, the authorities said.
The boy, Jason Guallpa, was found wedged between a television set and a wall in the badly damaged apartment at 35-58 98th Street in Corona, where firefighters were first called about 10:20 a.m. He was declared dead at the scene.
The police said that Jason had been left in the care of his brother Diego Guallpa, 24, and that Mr. Guallpa had gone out to run errands before the fire started. Mr. Guallpa was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a police official said.
Fire officials said the blaze appeared to have started in the kitchen of the apartment, which was on the first floor. The cause remained unknown. The officials said the blaze spread quickly, causing extensive damage to that apartment and another on the floor above.
Firefighters broke through the locked door of the lower apartment, unaware that a child was inside. Officials said Jason's body was found only after the fire had been brought largely under control by firefighters who were conducting a routine search.
The body was found buried in charred debris, the officials said.
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