#Queens house fire kills two

Two people are dead after an early morning house fire in Elmhurst, according to the FDNY.

The Fire Department said it received a 5:37 a.m. call for the blaze Saturday at 90-31 48th Ave. It went to a third-alarm at 6:16 a.m.

Four people also suffered minor injuries and were taken to Elmhurst Hospital, including two firefighters, according to the FDNY, which said it had 138 members on the scene at 7 a.m.

A neighbor said the three-story house was vacant and that the men who died were squatters.

There were more than 60 people living in the house in early 2020, according to a complaint received by the city Department of Buildings in January 2020 from someone who wanted to rent a room there and “witnessed people using drugs and the whole house smell of marijuana.”

The DOB noted an inspector was denied access to the house.

The DOB had issued a partial vacate order in February 2018 because the basement was illegally converted into six living units.

Another violation was issued in May 2020 because the front yard was fully paved, contrary to the area’s zoning, DOB records show.