Seventeen people, including 11 emergency responders, were injured in a fire that broke out inside a Queens high-rise apartment building Friday, police and fire officials said.
The accidental blaze started on the 11th floor of the 13-story building, located at 88-00 Shore Front Pkwy., at 11:24 a.m., according to an FDNY spokesman. It ignited when combustible material near a halogen lamp caught fire, and was brought under control at 12:47 p.m., the FDNY said.
Two people were hospitalized in critical condition, an FDNY spokeswoman said. The other 15 victims suffered minor injuries.
Of those injured, nine were NYPD members, two were firefighters and six were civilians, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
A police sergeant and an officer were taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, four officers to Nassau University Medical Center and three officers to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The firefighters and civilians were taken to “area hospitals,” the NYPD spokeswoman said.
All of the injured suffered smoke inhalation, the NYPD said. There was no smoke alarm on the premises, according to the FDNY.
About 20 units comprising 78 firefighters responded to the scene.
