A deadly four-alarm fire swept through a Flushing, Queens building Monday afternoon, killing four people including a child and injuring 12. Firefighters arrived just four minutes after the 911 call but found the structure already engulfed in flames. Emergency responders rescued one person trapped on the second floor as flames fanned by fierce winds spread rapidly through the three-story brick building.

Three occupants attempted to escape by jumping from upper-floor windows, though it remained unclear if any were among the dead. Two firefighters suffered injuries when a staircase collapsed inside the building. Witnesses described desperate scenes, including a woman screaming in Mandarin about her 3-year-old child still trapped inside. The fire commissioner called it a "difficult and tragic day."

The building housed ABCPOS, a point-of-sale equipment company whose Queens office escaped injury. The company's marketing specialist confirmed they called police after noticing the fire, which she believed started on the second floor. More than 230 firefighters and paramedics responded to control the blaze. Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore praised their "extraordinary job under difficult circumstances" in battling the fire and saving lives.