March 25, 2016 By Michael Florio
A discarded cigarette was the cause of the two-alarm fire that ripped through an Elmhurst house earlier this week that left three dead, according to the FDNY
Fire Marshalls determined that a lit cigarette was what started the fire at 42-28 Ithaca Street.
The fire broke out inside the two-story private dwelling at 10:30 pm on Monday. The house had no working smoke alarms present, according to the FDNY.
Firefighters found three men unconscious and unresponsive.
Two of the men were transported by EMS to Elmhurst General Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The third was taken to Forest Hills Hospital, where he was died soon after, police said.
Police have revealed the identities of two victims, Craig Lott, 53, and Martin Devereux, 71, both of whom lived in the building, according to the NYPD. The third victim’s identity has not yet been released.
The blaze took the FDNY about an hour to bring under control.
Twenty-five units and 106 firefighters responded to the scene, according to an FDNY spokesman.
One firefighter was taken to a local hospital with a minor injury.
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