A three-alarm fire at a Queens commercial building injured three firefighters and one civilian Monday morning, FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Richardson said.
The blaze broke out at 128-20 14th Ave., near 129th Street in College Point, around 7:40 a.m. and quickly grew to three alarms as the flames spread from the basement to the first floor, according to Richardson.
One person was seriously hurt and three firefighters suffered minor injuries, the FDNY said.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze and crews remained at the scene to extinguish hot spots throughout the afternoon, according to Richardson.
The frigid weather — the high temperature Monday was 14 degrees — posed an additional danger to firefighters. Richardson said the department used two ambulances and an MTA bus to help firefighters and emergency personnel keep warm.
"As always in the cold weather, we’re mindful of the operational challenges due to freezing, slipping hazards and getting hose lines in position, but we were able to overcome those situations," he said at a late morning news conference. "The firefighters did an excellent job."
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear and the investigation is ongoing.
