Jackson Heights Fire Leaves 2 Girls Critically Hurt : Officials

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS -- Two young girls are in critical condition after a fire broke out in a Jackson Heights apartment building early Friday morning, fire officials said.

The blaze broke out in a three-story apartment complex on 71 Street, near 31st Avenue, at around 12 a.m., fire officials told Patch.

When the flames broke out on the building's second floor, two young girls - ages 6 and 8 - briefly became trapped in a back bedroom, CBS New York reported. Both are now in "extremely critical condition, and one is in the burn unit of Cornell Medical Center.

Four firefighters also suffered minor injuries from the blaze, an FDNY spokeswoman said. The fire was reported under control at around 1:40 a.m.

Another several firefighters were also injured in a fire that broke out in Elmhurst later that morning. The blaze, which erupted at around 5 a.m. on Case Street, left one civilian in critical condition and at least seven firefighters hurt.