The NYPD did not wait for the FDNY fire marshals to determine the cause of a fatal fire in a detached garage in Jamaica on Saturday morning before deeming the deaths of two civilians as homicides on Monday.
Investigators suspected foul play and that the fire was set intentionally on the property at 127-27 91st Ave., an NYPD spokesman told QNS on Tuesday.
The deceased man was identified as 35-year-old Edward Daniel Jacobs, a resident at that address, while the identity of the deceased woman is still pending, police said Tuesday.
The FDNY received a call of a blaze behind a house at 172-27 91st Ave. in Jamaica just after 6:30 a.m. and dispatched 12 units and 60 firefighters to the scene between 173rd Street and 172nd Street where they found the fire had ripped through a two-story garage filled with clutter. The fire was brought under control at 7:30 a.m., and Jacobs and the unidentified woman were found unconscious and unresponsive inside the burned-out garage. EMS pronounced the two victims dead at the scene. According to the FDNY, fire marshals are still working to determine the cause of the fatal fire.
Inspectors from the city’s Department of Buildings responded to the location after the fire was extinguished to conduct structural stability inspections on the 3-story residence and the detached garage. They found that the garage sustained extensive structural damage, including charred wood joists, collapsed walls, a collapsed ceiling, and broken windows. The fire did not extend to the three-story home, which was undamaged during the blaze.
The DOB inspectors found illegal apartments had been created at the property, including in the detached garage where the fire originated. The illegal apartments in the garage and cellar were converted without permits or approvals from DOB, and both were found to have inadequate ventilation and no second means of egress.
As a result of the damage, DOB issued full vacate orders at the house and garage and issued two violations to the building owner for the illegally converted garage. DOB also issued violations for work without a permit and illegal occupancy to the building owner for the illegal dwelling in the cellar of the 3-story home.
