QUEENS — A 7-year-old boy died and his 13-year-old brother suffered severe burns after a blaze in their fireplace spread through their family's home in East Elmhurst Wednesday morning, officials said.
The fire started at 9:07 a.m. at the home at 30-38 90th St. and spread from the first-floor hearth up to the boys' second-floor bedroom, according to the FDNY.
The 7-year-old boy, Christopher Miller, was trapped by the flames and suffered fatal burns over his body, police said.
The 12-year-old boy, whose name was not immediately released, was able to get out of the home, but suffered serious burns to his body and taken to Weill-Cornell Hospital for treatment, 115th Precinct Commander Deputy Inspector Michael Cody said.
One other person in the home suffered smoke inhalation and was also taken to Cornell in critical condition, according to a fire department spokesman.
It took 60 fire fighters, three of whom suffered minor injuries, about an hour to extinguish the blaze, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.
