NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two people who were living in a detached garage behind a home in Jamaica, Queens died on Saturday morning in a fire, according to the FDNY.
Firefighters responded to the building on 91st Avenue, near 173rd Street, at around 6:40 a.m. Upon arrival, responders saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the detached garage behind a home.
“There was a lot of smoke in the alley. I took a walk back there, there [were] flames coming out of the garage on the first floor,” FDNY Battalion Chief Jack Flatley said. “They did have immediate access through a regular door, but then they had to cut the garage doors to open it up.”
Flatley said that the garage was filled with heavy clutter, including couches and pigeon coops, and it was “not really meant for habitation.”
Neighbors told authorities that people were living in the detached garage, and after a diligent search, firefighters found one victim on the first floor and the other on the second floor.