A ferocious house fire in Ridgewood claimed the life of a 92-year-old woman and injured two others by the time firefighters were able to tame the blaze, authorities said.
Maria Tchinkel was found unconscious inside her 18-68 Himrod St. home around 10:30 a.m. Monday morning and brought out onto the street, where officials performed CPR. She was then taken to nearby Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where the FDNY said she was pronounced dead.
Two others were retrieved from the flames and taken to the same hospital, with one listed in serious condition, fire officials said. Both victims were expected to survive, the FDNY said.
It took nearly 30 minutes and more than 50 firefighters to bring the flames under control on the first floor of the two-story house, the FDNY said. The cause of the incident was still under investigation.
By Phil Corso
