A four-alarm fire destroyed five wood-frame homes in Queens last night - killing one person and critically injuring another, who was burned "from head to toe," the FDNY said.
Seven firefighters suffered less serious injuries.
Smoke filled the air for blocks around the blaze, which erupted at 9:57 p.m. at 103-17 169th St. in South Jamaica.
The fire spread along the back walls and roofs to four nearby structures - two of which may have been unoccupied - shooting flames up to 20 feet into the air.
"There was heavy fire when firefighters arrived - it was blowing out of the top of the building," said an FDNY spokesman.
One person was dead at the scene and the 46-year-old burn victim was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital, officials said.
"The fire looks like pink lightning," said Lillie Bivins, who lives a block away.
A resident of one of the burned structures, Melissa Pickett, 26, a mother of three who lives on the first floor, stood helplessly outside as firefighters battled the blaze.
"The smoke was just thick and black," she said, adding that her kids all got out safely.
But another tenant said his grandfather was missing.
"His daughter's husband tried to get him out," said the tenant's girlfriend. "He couldn't get through because of the smoke. Then, all of a sudden, the top floor engulfed in flames."
Additional reporting by Melissa Jane Kronfeld
Republished with permission of The New York Post.
