Queens has almost every kind of New York home in it: detached and attached houses in Bayside, Whitestone and Middle Village, two-family houses in Ridgewood, Maspeth and Richmond Hill, apartment buildings in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Forest Hills and Rego Park, and storefronts with apartments above along the borough’s shopping streets. After a fire, the first questions are different in each: who owns what, who lives where, and whose insurer covers which part. This page covers fire damage restoration in Queens with that variety in mind.
NYC Fire Damage Restoration is an independent referral service, not a restoration company. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local restoration provider serving New York City, who can contact you, inspect and quote any work directly. You decide whether to hire them.
Fire or smoke damage in a Queens home? Send the request, and an independent local provider can contact you.
Two-family houses: owner and tenant under one roof
A fire in a two-family house affects two households with different responsibilities. The owner deals with the building, the insurer and the mortgage company: NYC Emergency Management advises contacting the insurer for detailed instructions and notifying the mortgage company if there is one. The tenant deals with their own belongings: the City Council’s fire guide tells tenants to photograph everything, file a renters insurance claim if they have one and confirm any written notice requirement. Both should make an inventory before anything is thrown away, and both should keep their records separate.
Basement and cellar units
Some Queens houses have people living below ground level. After a fire, DOB and HPD inspect, and DOB may vacate a building or part of it for conditions such as blocked egress or inadequate fire protection. DOB’s Vacates Order page also says property owners can be fined up to $25,000 for illegal apartments. If you live in a basement or cellar unit and your home has been vacated, the City Council’s guide says the Red Cross does an immediate needs assessment, and that everyone qualifies for its help regardless of legal or citizenship status. For longer-term housing, DOB’s FAQs point to HPD’s Emergency Housing Services.
Apartment buildings and storefronts
In the apartment buildings of Jackson Heights, Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Rego Park and Kew Gardens, a fire in one unit can leave smoke in the hallways and units above and firefighting water in the units below. NYC Emergency Management’s advice applies: in a high-rise, if the fire is not in your apartment, stay in it rather than going into smoke-filled hallways; in a building that is not fireproof, generally six stories or fewer, get everyone out and close the doors behind you. In a rental building, the City Council’s guide says building management hires the vendors for clean-up, remediation and rebuilding, and should send workers to board up openings on the day of the fire.
Where a store sits below apartments, a fire in the store can send smoke up into the homes above it. Tenants above should photograph the damage in their units and tell the managing agent in writing. The store’s own owner deals with the lease, the landlord and the business’s insurer. The page on smoke damage restoration NYC explains how smoke moves through a building.
First steps for a Queens house
- Wait for the fire department to say the house is safe to enter, and do not attempt to reconnect utilities.
- Secure broken windows, doors and any roof opening. See emergency board up.
- Start drying quickly: the EPA advises drying water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. See fire and water damage restoration.
- Keep any generator outside and at least 20 feet from the house, as the EPA advises.
- Inventory before anything is thrown away. See fire damage cleanup NYC.
Neighborhoods across Queens
The request form covers the whole borough: Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, Flushing, Bayside, Whitestone, Fresh Meadows, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Jamaica, St. Albans, Rosedale, Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park. DOB lists a Construction Enforcement Unit for Queens on its Vacates Order page for questions about an order in the borough.
When you send the request, say the building type and whether you are the owner or a tenant. An independent local restoration provider can contact you, inspect and quote directly. Sending the form is free and you never have to hire anyone.
Questions people ask
Who arranges fire restoration in a Queens two-family house?
The owner arranges the building’s restoration with their insurer. The tenant handles their own belongings and any renters insurance claim. Each should keep separate photos and records.
Can I get help if my basement apartment was vacated after a fire?
The City Council’s guide says the Red Cross does an immediate needs assessment after residential fires and that everyone qualifies regardless of legal or citizenship status. DOB’s FAQs point to HPD’s Emergency Housing Services for longer-term help.
Does NYC Fire Damage Restoration cover all of Queens?
The request form covers the whole borough. Your details go to an independent local restoration provider serving New York City, who can contact you.
Fire damage helpFive boroughs