July 03, 2006
Twelve firefighters and five building resident were injured when a three-alarm blaze broke out inside an apartment in Queens Monday afternoon.

The FDNY says the blaze broke out early this afternoon in the second floor apartment of a six-story building in Sunnyside. According to investigators, the apartment was littered with trash and debris.

“As soon as our first units got there they tried to open the door and they couldn’t get it open because of all the debris that was behind the door,” said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief John Acerno. “There was debris from the floor to the ceiling throughout the entire department.”...

The man who lived in the apartment where the fire broke out was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Four other people who live in the building were treated at the scene of the blaze.

Only one of the 12 firefighters who were hurt suffered a serious injury, although it is not believed to be life-threatening.

Resident say they feared the lifestyle of the apartment's resident would lead to this sort of accident.

"From the fire escape to the next window over you could see the stuff piled from the floor all the way to the ceiling, and it just got everybody shaken up,” said resident Gabe Stan. “The worst thing about it is they knew that he was in there hoarding all that stuff, and from what I understand he had hardly any room to walk by, he had just enough to get to the bathroom.”

“I’m very worried. I'm very worried. If it’s smoking like this for over an hour and they are breaking walls down in the other apartments, and obviously the man was a packrat - is it controllable, is what I'm trying to figure out. Are they able to handle that much debris in there?" said neighbor Volkan Yucekus.

The exact cause of the fire hasn't been determined.

It's unclear whether criminal charges will be filed against the man who lived in the apartment where the fire broke out.

Although the fire has been brought under control, because of the amount of debris in the apartment, the FDNY says it is wary of “hot spots” that could still flare up. As a result, residents are still not allowed back into the building.

The Red Cross is on scene to provide temporary housing for the displaced residents.

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