A fire left an 84-year-old woman dead and five other people injured late Wednesday night in Queens.
Flames broke out around 11:30 p.m. at an apartment building on 91st Street near Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica.
When firefighters arrived, they found 84-year-old Ruth Andrade unconscious, along with an 85-year-old man in need of assistance. Both were rushed to Queens General Hospital, where the woman died. The man is now in stable condition.
Four others suffered minor injuries.
It took about 150 firefighters an hour and a half to get the flames under control.
“On arrival, there was heavy fire, there were multiple civilians trying to exit the building,” FDNY Deputy Chief George Healy said. “The fire marshals are on the scene. Unfortunately, there is some significant structural damage to the building that’s impacting their investigation at this time, but the investigation is ongoing.”
The cause of the fire has not been determined.