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Fast-Moving Elmhurst Fire Leaves 9 People Hurt, 1 Seriously: FDNY

By Katie Honan | December 7, 2015 8:51am
 Lillian Baldorado woke up to the sound of someone screaming for help in the house across the street.
Lillian Baldorado woke up to the sound of someone screaming for help in the house across the street.
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Lillian Baldorado

ELMHURST — One person is in serious condition after a fast-moving fire destroyed a home in Elmhurst early Monday, fire officials said.

The fire at 42-67 Ketcham St., off Britton Avenue, started at 4:20 a.m. Monday, according to fire officials.

One person was brought to Weill Cornell in serious condition, according to the FDNY.

Eight other people, including three firefighters, were also taken to nearby hospitals although their conditions were unclear. 

Battalion Chief Joe Cooney from Battalion 46 said the two-alarm blaze spread quickly, and took about three hours to get under control.

"We had a lot, a lot of fire," he said. "The fire traveled really fast."

 The two-alarm fire destroyed the home on Ketcham Street.
The two-alarm fire destroyed the home on Ketcham Street.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

Heat from the flames melted the siding off two homes on Britton Avenue, and neighbors say they woke up to the sound of glass breaking and people screaming for help.

Lillian Baldorado lives across Ketcham Street from the home, where she said a family, including one child, lived. 

"I heard someone scream so that woke me up right away," she said. "It escalated really fast."

Fire marshals were there Monday morning to investigate the cause of the blaze.