Several reported injured in massive blaze at NYC hospital, 100+ firefighters deployed to battle flames (VIDEOS)
At least two people have been reported injured in a massive fire that erupted at St. John’s hospital in Queens, New York. The incident saw scores of firefighters and emergency responders being dispatched to battle the flames.
Fire crews rushed to the hospital in Queens’ Far Rockaway neighborhood around 5pm on Friday, a FDNY spokesman told local media, noting that around 100 emergency workers were responding to the two-alarm fire.
The New York Times reported, citing fire officials, that two people had suffered minor injuries in the incident.
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) September 10, 2021
Footage purporting to show the conflagration has circulated online, with a colossal column of thick black smoke seen billowing from the hospital’s roof as flames erupted from upper-floor windows.
#BREAKING - HOSPITAL ON FIRE: 2 alarm fire at St John's hospital in Far Rockaway, Queens, at 327 Beach 19 Street. pic.twitter.com/3927awnjAX
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) September 10, 2021
QUEENS: Firefighters are currently battling a massive 2nd alarm fire at the St. Johns Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway. pic.twitter.com/deemiQld2a
— Yid Info (@YidInfoNews) September 10, 2021
After about an hour, however, the fire was fully extinguished, according to officials cited by the Times. The scare triggered a partial evacuation of the building, including the hospital’s emergency room, according to the Times. Several patients that were in the ER as the fire broke are expected to be transported to other hospitals to continue treatment, local media reported, citing a source with the city’s emergency service
Founded in 1905, St. John’s Episcopal has a 257-bed capacity and is the only hospital providing emergency and ambulance services to the densely populated Rockaway peninsula and other neighborhoods in southern Queens.
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