By Mark Hallum
The body of an unidentified 39-year-old man was discovered in the attic of a scorched home in Corona the day after FDNY had extinguished the fire that killed him, according to police
The two-alarm fire that erupted at the single-family home at 40-46 Case St. in Corona at around 5 a.m. last Friday sent four civilians and seven firefighters who responded to the hospital.
Relatives of the man found dead Saturday reported to the 110th Precinct that a family member was still missing and FDNY re-entered the building and discovered the victim unresponsive in the attic. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the police.
“My heart goes out to the family of the man discovered in the attic of the Case Street home that caught on fire Friday morning,” City Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) said. “Friends of the victim described him as a Bangladeshi man who was working toward a college degree — which is to say this is a tragic end to the life of a man who, like so many other immigrants, came to this country is in search of the American Dream.”
The FDNY said the fire in Corona was attributed to unattended candles.
It was not the only fire in area crews were responding to on Friday morning with FDNY praising Ladder 154, Engine 307 and Rescue 4 for their actions saving lives on the second floor of the Corona fire and another earlier fire in Jackson Heights just five hours apart.
In both fires smoke alarms were either not present or not operational, according to the FDNY, and multiple civilians and firefighters were taken to area hospitals.
“During the first fire this morning, we got multiple reports of people trapped, so we knew that we were going to be arriving to a fire condition. It was a panicky scene. We made our way in, went up the stairs, and were met by fire walking in the doors. It was a heavy fire condition with a lot of smoke. I went to the left, and [Firefighter Akira] Rodriguez went to the right,” Ladder 154 Lt. Kevin O’Hare said.
The first fire broke out at 30-46 71st St. just after midnight Friday morning that left six victims needing to be treated for injuries alongside four responders, the according to the fire department.
“I heard screaming from the back bedroom. I made contact with the patient and from there, the smoke started to lift. I was then able to see that there was a rear door so I pushed it out. That’s when the patient told me there were others still inside,” Rodriguez said. The reference to the patient was
The Jackson Heights fire was still under investigation.
“When I arrived on scene, I ran up the stairs. I made my way to the apartment as Rodriguez was making his way out with the patient. I continued the search of that room and found an unresponsive young person. I was able to carry them out by myself and moved them to the street. They were not breathing, so we began our interventions. When we passed the patient to EMS, they were breathing on their own,” Lt. Todd Smith of Rescue 4 said.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
