A contractor illegally using a blow torch to burn lead paint off a door sparked a massive blaze at a Queens apartment building that injured 14 people and displaced 160 residents, the Fire Department said Thursday.
The inferno – that ultimately drew a five-alarm response – erupted around noon Wednesday on the top floor of a six-story building on 47th Avenue near 43rd Street in Sunnyside, officials said.
Eight civilians, four firefighters and two police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the blaze, according to the FDNY.
The department said the fire stemmed from an illegal torch that a contractor was using to heat lead paint off a metal closet door frame inside a vacant apartment.
In the process, the worker noticed smoke emanating from the door frame.
The worker tried removing plaster from around the frame, but soon spotted small flames on the wood studs and attempted to extinguish them with a bucket of water.
It was too late – as the blaze had extended further into the walls, and a short time later, the fire was reported to be in the attic, spreading across the roof, the FDNY said.
Video showed flames and smoke shooting out of the windows of the top floor as nearly 200 firefighters and EMS workers responded to the fire, which took four-and-a-half hours to extinguish.
“Our main fire was in the middle wings, the B and C wing,” said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Tom Currao. “Of course we have very heavy fire damage throughout the building, either from the fire condition or from the water that was applied.”
A total of 160 people – from 68 different households – were receiving emergency assistance, including temporary lodging and meals, in the aftermath of the fire, according to a rep for the American Red Cross.
The humanitarian organization was coordinating with the city’s Office of Emergency Management to help residents with longer-term recovery at Sunnyside Community Services on 39th Street near 43rd Avenue, the rep said.
Resident Eric Tabala told WABC Wednesday he was waiting to rescue his cat from his mother-in-law’s charred second-floor apartment.
“I’ve been seeing people coming home from work because they didn’t know what was going on and their stuff is gone,” Tabala said. “You didn’t expect it, it was horrible. It’s cold, it’s horrible, it’s Christmas season, it’s not a good day.”