Squatter dies in house fire

A 40-year-old woman was killed Tuesday during a fire in a vacant house on 67th Street between 12th and 13th avenues.

FDNY said it was the fifth fire in the building in the past two years and that squatters have been staying in the house.

The three-alarm blaze started at 8 a.m. and was put out by 10:25 a.m. Three of New York’s Bravest sustained minor injuries.

Firefighters found the woman’s body in the back of the building.

“She had built a shanty in between the basement entrance, where she was squatting illegally,” said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms during a press conference. “There was an entrance way knocked in the cinderblock so she could make entry into the building. She was squatting in the alley and the basement of the building.”

Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire. The Dept. of Buildings was also at the scene to inspect the house’s stability.

On Nov. 29, 2023, a person was arrested after a two-alarm fire at the same address. A rubbish fire also broke out at the house on July 12 of last year.

“My office has been fighting for over two years to establish safer housing at this exact location,” Assemblyman Lester Chang said on Instagram. “My condolences go out to all those affected by this fire.”