By Bryan Schwartzman
Jamaica residents were awakened by the sound of fire engines early Sunday morning as a three-alarm fire caused by an overload of Christmas lights raced through three homes, seriously burning a Jamaica woman and three small children. Eight other relatives and three firefighters were hurt in the raging blaze that took two hours to extinguish.
The fire destroyed the home where it started at 148-22 89th Ave. and badly damaged two neighboring homes on either side.
Estille Roberts, 24, was in critical but stable condition at the Burn Unit of the Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, said Myrna Manners, a spokeswoman for New York Presbyterian Hospital, which runs the medical center.
Her 4-year-old son Desmond and 4-month-old daughter Ashley were both being treated at the center for burns and were in stable condition, said Manners. A 3-year-old girl, Natasha Gregory, was also being treated at the pediatric center at Mary Immaculate Hospital, said Debbie Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Medical Center.
Twelve family members in all were taken to area hospitals and eight were treated for minor injuries, said Police Officer Vincint Gravelli.
The Fire Department arrived on the scene at 4:28 a.m. and had the fire under control at 6:26 a.m., said fireman Frank McCarton.
