Two Killed in New York City 3-Alarmer

NEW YORK-- A veteran corrections officer and at least one of her children were killed when a fierce third-alarm fire tore through a house in the Rosedale section of Queens.

Newscopter Seven was live over the scene.

Eyewitness News is told Captain Renee Chong, a 20-year corrections department veteran, was trapped inside the house at 262-16 149th Road when flames erupted just before 5 a.m. this morning.

Firefighters rushed inside the home and apparently spotted the officer trapped on the second floor. But the house partially collapsed, sending firefighters leaping out the windows and doors.

Officials say none of the firefighters were seriously hurt, but they were unable to rescue Chong or her child. Firefighters were forced to battle the flames from the outside.

When they got into the home they found two victims on the second floor. Chong has two children, and the status of her second child was unclear.

Six firefighters were also treated for minor injuries. The cause of the fire was unknown. Firefighters said it is an "active crime scene."

A blind man lives on the first floor but was not home at the time of the fire.

Chong joined the department in February 1988 and became a captain in 2000. She was most recently employed in the Queens Criminal Court.

Republished with permission of WABC-TV.