2nd man dies after 'suspicious' fire rips through building in Queens

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Wednesday, December 26, 2018
2nd man dies after 'suspicious' fire rips through Queens building
A second victim has died after a "suspicious" fire ripped through a building in Queens.

JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- A second victim has died after a suspicious fire ripped through a building in Queens.

Officials said 86-year-old John Wigfall died at the hospital after suffering critical injuries from a fire in Jamaica Sunday afternoon.

His roommate, 64-year-old David Hawkins, was also killed when the two men were trapped inside their burning three-story building on 150th Street.

The building has four churches on the ground floor, and worshipers tried to get upstairs to help get people out.

Firefighters got the fire under control just before 4 p.m. Sunday.

Both men were rushed to the hospital, and Hawkins was pronounced dead.

The two roommates also lived with another elderly woman, whose daughter said her mother was at church when the fire broke out.

The fire remains under investigation, but the fire chief said it is being investigated as suspicious.

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