College Point Fire: 1 Seriously Hurt; FDNY Faces Freezing Temps

COLLEGE POINT, NY— One person was critically injured after firefighters battled a serious fire in freezing temperatures in College Point, Queens on Monday morning.

According to the FNDY, firefighters arrived to find a serious fire at a business on 14th Avenue at 7:40 a.m. The fire broke out in the basement and moved to the first floor of the building. FDNY officials say oxygen tanks inside the building exploded, causing a section of the structure of collapse, according to NBC New York.

One civilian suffered serious injuries and three firefighters suffered non-life threatening injuries, the FDNY says.

Temperatures were in the single digits as responders arrived to the three-alarm fire. Thick, black smoke emerging from the building could be seen from some distance away, according to videos of the incident. More than 100 firefighters and emergency personnel were on the scene, according to NBC New York.

"As always in the cold weather, we’re mindful of the operational challenges due to freezing, slipping hazards and getting hoselines in position, but we were able to overcome those situations," FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Richardson said in a statement. "The firefighters did an excellent job."

Crews will be at the scene for several hours and arrangements have been made for them to keep warm. "We have two ambulances and an MTA bus here for rehabilitation for our members, to keep them warm and keep them out of the cold as we relieve personnel," Richardson said.

Images via FDNY Twitter