Corona, Queens apartment fire overnight kills 3

CORONA (WABC) -- Fire marshals have determined that a fatal two-alarm fire that tore through an apartment in a Queens high-rise Wednesday was an accident.

The fire, which killed three people, broke out in a ninth-floor apartment in the LeFrak City 16-story apartment complex at around 11:45 p.m. Three or four rooms in the apartment at 96-02 57th Ave., were on fire, with flames shooting from the windows. Officials said it started as a cooking fire.

Firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions as they pushed through a hot, smoke-filled hallway to get to the apartment. They pulled three residents out of the apartment, but they were later pronounced dead. One of them briefly became trapped in an elevator and was taken from the building in cardiac arrest.

The three victims have been identified as Louise Jean-Charles, 59; Nadia Donnay, 37; and Napolean Michel, 69, all of whom lived in apartment 9C. Michel was taken to Forest Hills Long Island Jewish Hospital. Jean-Charles and Donnay were taken to Elmhurst General Hospital.

Investigators believe they were cooking soup that was left unattended on the stove when the fire broke out.

According to the Fire Marshals investigation, the particular apartment did not have any smoke alarms. It does not mean that they were never installed, it just means that they were not present when the Marshals conducted their investigation.

Fire authorities said 105 firefighters from 25 units responded to the scene. One became disoriented by the smoke but was quickly located. Five firefighters in total were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals.

Additionally, a woman was taken into custody in the lobby when a scuffle broke out with police trying to clear a path for rescue workers, and she struck a police officer.

Most residents stayed in their apartments, resisting the urge to go into the smoke filled hallways and stairwells. Some went to their balconies.

Fire investigators remained on the scene throughout the day today collecting evidence.

Amid Shah lives right below the family's apartment.

"And all of our windows and door are broken because the fire people are still there. We have flood all over the apartment. and smoke all over the wall," said Shah. ("So how long until you can go back?") "They say three or four days," she said.

In a written statement, LeFrak said, "Our deepest condolences go out to the families of those affected. We are working with the Fire Marshall to determine the cause of this incident. The building has no fire violations and the apartment was outfitted with smoke detectors as required by law. A smoke detector rider attesting to the presence of this life safety equipment was signed and initialed by the tenant in 2012."