1 dead, 1 hurt in Qns. fire
A MAN on fire sprinted down a staircase and out of his burning Queens apartment Tuesday morning, but died in a courtyard as his nephew jumped two stories to escape the flames and suffered critical injuries.
The blaze broke out on the second floor of a three-story building on 66th Ave. near 111th St. in Forest Hills just before 10:20 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find the body of Ramon Rahim, 49, said FDNY Deputy Chief Steven Kubler, of Division 14. “They had no warning at all,” he said. Rahim’s 30-year-old nephew, sources said, was found dazed but walking in the rear of the building. He suffered burns to his face and arms and smoke inhalation after his dramatic leap. The nephew may have thrown a mattress out the window to pad his fall. He was rushed to New York-Presbyterian/Queens in critical condition.
Kubler said the fire started in the apartment Rahim and his nephew shared. Rahim rushed down about 50 feet to the courtyard.