A New Year's fire tore through a home in East Elmhurst, Queens, killing a seven-year-old boy and seriously injuring his 13-year-old brother. The FDNY says that the blaze started from a fire in the fireplace that "spread to couches and Christmas decorations."
The Fire Department arrived to the home on 90th Street before 10 a.m., but by that time, the fire was very advanced. They found little Christopher Miller at the foot of the stairs. FDNY Chief Mark Ferran said that Christopher was apparently overcome by smoke as he tried to make his way from his second-floor bedroom, "He was on his way out but just couldn’t make it."
The Daily News reports, "Fire officials said two 20-year-old friends visiting the family from out of town set a blaze in the fireplace on the first floor to keep warm. Then they fell asleep, Ferran said." Ferran explained, "But the fire spread across the fireplace. It caught into Christmas decorations, couches and other furnishings." There was no fire screen at the fireplace—and the house didn't have any working smoke detectors.
The two young adults may have also tried to put out the fire and not called the FDNY immediately. The pair did manage to help Christopher's 13-year-old brother Matthew out of the house; Matthew is in stable condition. The boys' grandfather, whose bedroom was in the basement, also escaped. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The boys' parents had been out at a New Year's party and arrived home to find out their son had died. A neighbor said the mother was screaming, "My son! My son!" and was taken away in an ambulance. Another neighbor told WCBS 2, "It’s just sad. It’s New Year’s. It’s just ridiculous.”
