Overview
- Early Monday morning fire crews responded to reports of smoke and fire at a five‑story building at 45-08 40th Street in Sunnyside after a blaze began on the second floor and spread to the third.
- Two residents were found on the second floor and taken to Elmhurst Hospital where a 61‑year‑old man died and a 60‑year‑old man remained in critical condition.
- The FDNY sent 21 units with 79 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene, one firefighter was hurt and the fire was brought under control at 3:21 a.m.
- Investigators from the FDNY fire marshal’s office are determining cause while examining whether known building vulnerabilities such as single stairwells, open apartment doors, or hidden voids helped the fire spread quickly.
- The Sunnyside blaze is the latest in a string of fast‑spreading apartment fires in the city and could prompt Department of Buildings inspections, enforcement actions, vacate orders, and expanded tenant aid and shelter needs.