Two elderly people were killed in an early morning apartment fire in Fresh Meadows Wednesday, according to the FDNY.
The blaze broke out just after 4:30 a.m. in a fourth-floor apartment at 71-02 162nd St. near the corner of 71st Avenue. Firefighters encountered an “advanced fire condition” that was exacerbated by a “heavy clutter condition” inside the apartment, FDNY officials said. The fire was knocked down about an hour later.
Firefighters discovered two victims, a 75-year-old woman and an 81-year-old man, unconscious and unresponsive inside the dwelling. EMS responded to the scene and pronounced them dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.
A third person was treated at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the FDNY.
The fire marshal will determine the cause of the blaze and the investigation remains ongoing, police said. The identification of the deceased is pending family notification.
