1 Dead, 2 Injured In Fire At Elmhurst Apartment Building

ELMHURST, QUEENS — One man is dead and two are injured after a fire broke out in their Elmhurst apartment building early Monday morning.

The blaze started about 3 a.m. on the fifth floor of 88-35 Elmhurst Ave., police and fire officials said.

EMS rushed resident George Ortega, 50, to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he died.

Sustained smoke inhalation left a 30-year-old man in critical condition at Elmhurst Hospital and a 36-year-old woman with more minor injuries, police said.

All three victims lived in the same fifth-floor apartment, officials said.

Two firefighters also suffered minor injuries, according to the New York Post.

As fire alarms went off, residents woke up their neighbors to help them escape.

"The neighbors were just knocking, banging on the doors, telling everyone to wake up. I opened the door and I saw a little bit of smoke come out," resident Anthony Vazquez told ABC7.

"Once the firefighters came, the whole hall was just black," he added.

FDNY fire marshals are investigating how the fire started.