The Latest: Fire that killed 5 likely didn’t spread from car

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on a house fire that killed five people in New York (all times local):

Noon

The New York City fire commissioner says investigators don’t believe a fire that killed five people spread to a house from a car found burned out nearby.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Monday that marshals worked through the night to determine the cause of the Sunday afternoon fire in Queens. He says they’re still investigating and it could take time to reach a conclusion.

Most of the victims were related and one was a friend. Authorities identified them as 2-year-old Chayce Lipford, 10-year-old Rashawn Matthews, 16-year-old Jada Foxworth, 17-year-old Melody Edwards and 20-year-old Destiny Dones.

Nigro said the fire moved swiftly.

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2:10 a.m.

Authorities say a man who escaped a deadly house fire that killed five people is expected to survive.

The New York Police Department said early Monday that the man is being treated at a local hospital. He was not identified.

Police also say the victims of Sunday afternoon’s fire in Queens Village neighborhood were two boys, a 2-year-old and a 10-year-old; two girls, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old; and a 20-year-old woman. Their names have not been disclosed pending notification of their families.

An investigation is continuing into the blaze.

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1:10 a.m.

Investigators are scouring for clues about what sparked a deadly, fast-moving house fire that killed five people, including three children, on a sunny spring afternoon.

The fire broke out Sunday afternoon, on a street full of single-family homes in the middle class neighborhood of Queens Village.

Officials are still trying to piece together who the victims are, and how or if they were all related. The victims ranged in age from 2 to 21, plus one adult who was somewhat older.

There is no immediate theory on what started the blaze. A burned-out car was found behind one of the homes, and witnesses reported hearing loud booms, but Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says it didn’t appear there was an explosion.

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