Ridgewood, Queens Apartment Fire Fueled by Thousands of Tires at Tire Repair Shop
QUEENS, NEW YORK (January 22, 2026) – At least nine people were injured, and many were displaced in a Ridgewood, Queens fire at an apartment building on Flushing Avenue.
New York City officials are saying that the accident took place around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday. The fire apparently started in a tire repair shop on the ground floor of the building.
It continued to spread to the second and third floors. Firefighters and paramedics were called to the Ridgewood apartment fire to help all of the victims and put out the fire.
Officials for the FDNY said that the fire was fueled by thousands of tires at the repair shop. It took a long time and thousands of gallons of water to eventually get the fire under control.
In all, nine people were injured in the fire. A full investigation into the source of the fire remains ongoing at this time.
Liability for Queens Apartment Fires
Property owners have a legal obligation to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. This must be accomplished for the sake of all persons whose presence at any property is reasonably foreseeable. Great care must be taken to prevent fires and other hazardous conditions. What follows are a few steps that property owners should take to prevent or mitigate fires.
- Warning Devices: Property owners must install and maintain early warning devices to alert residents of a fire. These are especially important in sleeping areas.
- Self-Closing Doors: Apartments will typically need self-closing fire doors. These can dramatically help stop the spread of a fire.
- Clear Exits: Apartments should have clear exits and fire escapes. The pathways to those exits should be unobstructed by furniture, boxes, or other potential hazards.
- Maintenance: Property owners should perform periodic inspections and maintenance on all key systems throughout their buildings. This will include electrical systems and utilities.
Depending on the facts of any case, there could be numerous sources of liability for any apartment fire. If a fire started at a business, that business could potentially be liable for any resulting injuries or death. There may be numerous ways that a business may have acted negligently for any fire. A business may have improperly stored chemicals or failed to maintain key systems in their building.
Steps to Take After Queens Apartment Fires
Many people are seriously injured or killed in residential fires across New York in the United States every year. According to the National Fire Protection Association, over a five-year period “US fire departments responded to an estimated average of 328,590 home structure fires per year. These fires caused an annual average of 2,600 civilian deaths; 10,770 civilian fire injuries; and $8.9 billion in direct property damage.” It is important that certain steps are taken after any residential fire.
- Medical Treatment: Victims should seek medical treatment early on. Even if a person is not directly burned in a fire, smoke inhalation can do lasting damage to a person’s lungs and nervous system.
- Evidence Preservation: Any evidence tied to the potential source of the fire should be preserved. It can help reveal what parties could be liable.
- Building Records: All building records related to maintenance and fire codes should be carefully reviewed. These records can reveal systemic deficiencies that contributed to a fire.
- Legal Review: Any person injured in a New York apartment fire should contact an experienced premises liability attorney. An attorney can review the unique facts of your case free of cost and let you know how much compensation you may be entitled to.
It can be difficult to know where to begin after any residential fire. Victims are often left with life-altering injuries and may lose all of their possessions in the process. To make matters worse, business owners and their insurance providers will virtually never accept responsibility if they cause a fire that seriously injures someone. This is why it is so important that victims seek legal counsel early on. Any person injured in a New York City apartment fire may be able to pursue damages through a personal injury claim.
Getting Legal Help After Queens Apartment Fires
We at Richmond Vona extend our best wishes to all of the people injured in this Ridgewood, Queens apartment fire. It is our sincere hope that all of the victims will be able to make a full recovery. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong so that similar incidents can be prevented.
Have you or someone that you care about been injured in a New York City apartment fire? Our team of New York premises liability attorneys is here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that accident victims get the medical and financial support that they need to recover. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any particular incident, we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at 716-500-5678.
