By Chris Fuchs
The first fire, reported at 4:47 p.m. Thursday, started in a second-floor bedroom at 88-03 97th Ave., in Woodhaven, the officials said. It took more than 50 firefighters nearly 20 minutes to bring the fire under control, the officials said.
The man who was injured, Thomas Water, 48, suffered smoke inhalation but was not burned, the officials said. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital and was later transferred to the Burn Unit of Cornell Weill hospital in Manhattan, the officials said. The fire appeared to be accidental, they said.
The second fire, in a frame house in Rosedale, broke out around 1:18 a.m. Friday morning, the officials said. That fire also required more than 50 firefighters to get it under control. About 12 minutes after the fire units arrived, the firefighters found a 6-year-old boy, Chukuka Jones, on the second floor, the officials said.
Jones was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital and was later transferred to the Burn Unit of Cornell Weill Medical Center, the officials said. The officials said that Jones suffered second- and third-degree burns to 40 percent to 50 percent of his body as well as smoke inhalation.
The officials said the fire most likely started near a gas burner in the basement and spread to the first and second floors of the 2-1/2- story frame house through a flue.
