21 injured, including 16 firefighters, in Queens apartment building fire

An eight-alarm fire tore through an apartment building in Queens Tuesday afternoon, leaving 21 injured, including 16 firefighters, and displacing more than 200 residents.

The fire broke out as four-alarm blaze on the top floor of the six-story building on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights around 1 p.m. and quickly spread into the cockloft.
Approximately 400 FDNY members responded and continue to fight the ferocious fire.

Officials say the FDNY will be at the scene through the night and the next few days.

"When the units arrived, the door of apartment was open, there was an advanced fire," FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. "The first units in were trying to make their advance, three of the members were burned. Thankfully the burns were not serious, although they have been taken to the hospital."
FDNY officials say the building has 150 apartments and approximately 90 families, including 240 residents, have been displaced due to the fire.

In total, 21 people were injured, including 16 firefighters and five residents.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but officials say it was not weather related.