Home Under Construction Goes Up in Flames in Forest Hills

A large fire engulfed a house being built in an affluent Queens neighborhood Tuesday evening, leaving behind a charred frame of a home three months into construction. 

The two-alarm fire broke out at the house at 66th Avenue and 108th Street in Forest Hills, shortly after a construction crew left the site, according to the construction manager.

Video from the scene showed intense flames shooting from the site, sending up thick up plumes of smoke. 

Neighbor Sam Joseph said, "The steps started to smoke, someone yelled, 'fire, fire, leave your house, leave your house.'"

No one was hurt and no one was displaced in the fire, according to the FDNY. The blaze does not appear suspicious but the department is investigating. 

The house was being built by a Queens millionaire for his son, according to authorities. The home was three months into construction.

similar fire broke out in the neighborhood last Sunday, when a house under construction on 112th Street became engulfed in flames and ultimately collapsed.The fire spread to two neighboring homes and caused significant damage. No one was hurt in that fire, which was being investigated as suspicious because it was so big, the FDNY said. 

When the NYPD's 112th Precinct station tweeted about Tuesday's fire and asked residents to avoid the area, neighbors responded with concern: "Another one?" "Why so many fires in the neighborhood lately?"

The NYPD followed up in another tweet: "We're aware of the recent rash of residential fires in #ForestHills. We're coordinating with #FDNY and other investigative authorities." 

The FDNY could not comment Tuesday if the fires appeared related. 

Earlier Monday, another fire in the neighborhood injured three people, one of them critically. Firefighters responded to an apartment building on Queens Boulevard at about 6 a.m. and brought the fire under control in about an hour.

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