A couple has died after a fire broke out at their apartment building in Queens, fire officials and neighbors said.
Flames broke out on the fourth floor of the building on 162nd Street in Flushing before 5 a.m., according to the FDNY. Firefighters were able to put out the blaze in about an hour but they say heavy clutter inside the building made conditions worse.
A hole had to be cut in the rood in order to keep the fire from spreading after firefighters found "heavy fire on the top floor blowing out every window,", according to FDNY Deputy Chief Robert Sputh.
Two people, a woman in her 70s and her husband in his 80s, were pronounced dead at the scene. One of them was found in a bedroom, the other in a living room. Another person was hurt but their injury wasn't life-threatening, fire officials said.
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The couple's apartment was the only unit affected by the blaze. Neighbors said that when the first started, the couple's grandson was with them, and he tried to save them.
"He was getting buckets of water, trying to stop the fire and it wasn't working," said Caitlin DeLeon.
The couple's cat survived the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
