Exclusive: Queens Neighbors Say Fatal Fire Left Massive Mess
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Mounds of trash were left to rot following a fire in Queens.
Neighbors tell CBS2's Ali Bauman they have tried everything to get rid of the garbage, but it just keeps getting worse.
Trash can be seen on the lawn, over the fence and in a tree around the house on 252nd Street in Bellerose.
"We were expecting it to be gone by like soon, and it's still sitting there," neighbor Sandra Cyril told Bauman in an exclusive interview.
The home caught fire 10 days ago. Eight firefighters were hospitalized, and the 82-year-old woman living there alone was killed.
"I feel so bad for her. She had no one," said resident Jacqueline Pilosi. "But it sucks for us, too."
Pilosi's house next door is perfectly manicured up to the dividing line on their shared driveway. She spent the last week and a half pleading with the city for help.
"311, when we found out the front room was filled with fecal matter, said we can't do anything about it, it's inside private property," she told Bauman.
The Pilosis said they have been trying to talk to the person who inherited the property from their neighbor, but he lives out of state and hasn't told them when it will be cleaned up and what's taking so long.
"They're working on it, is what we're being told," Jacqueline said. "If we get a dumpster and we board it up, they're going to sue us."
The mess smells, it's attracting bugs, and each day makes it worse, Bauman reported.
"It's a nice neighborhood, we don't want an eyesore like that," said neighbor Tom Bannon said.
"Someone's going to get sick. It's going to be 90 degrees all weekend," said Jacqueline.
Bauman called the executor in Florida. He said paperwork is slowing the process.
"We're trying to file as quickly as we can with the surrogates court," he said. "We should have it cleaned up in a very short time… probably by next week."
CBS2 will be checking back until it's cleaned up.
