Four-alarm fire in Flushing that killed four residents, including 3-year-old girl, deemed a homicide: NYPD

The massive four-alarm fire that tore through two neighboring residential buildings in Flushing killing four residents, including a young girl, on Monday, March 16, was deemed a homicide by the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on March 27.

Two residents of 132-05 Avery Ave. were identified as Chengri Cui, a 50-year-old man and the child, 3-year-old Sihan Yang. A 62-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man have not been identified pending proper family notification.

FDNY fire marshals are still working to determine the cause of the fast-moving fire that broke out just before 12:30 p.m. on the second and third floors at 44-49 College Point Blvd. As the fire spread through five apartments on the second and third floors, a fourth alarm was transmitted, bringing 74 units to the block between Avery Avenue and Pople Avenue with a total of 231 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene, according to the FDNY.

Three people were injured after jumping from windows on the top floor and two firefighters were injured when the staircase, they were climbing collapsed. They were extricated and transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The fire extended to the neighboring residential building on Avery Avenue where three people were found dead, including the 3-year-old girl. The fourth victim, Cheng Cui, was also found and rushed by EMS to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The Avery Avenue building has a long history of complaints including illegal conversions and subdivisions stretching back more than a decade. Neighbors complained often about squatters.

The city’s Department of Buildings Forensic Engineering unit determined that due to the structural damage caused by the fire, the building at 132-05 Avery Ave. was posing an immediate hazard to the public and ordered the building to be demolished. DOB added that the demolition operation is now the responsibility of the building owner, and if the building owner fails to hire contractors to perform the work, NYC Housing Preservation and Development will hire city contractors to manage the demolition at the owner’s expense. DOB issued a full vacate order at 44-49 College Point Blvd.