A fire tore through a Queens house early Monday, killing the owner and critically injuring one of her tenants, officials said.
Stella Balthazar, 57, died from smoke inhalation and burns she suffered from the blaze that broke out at 3:30 a.m. in the two-story home on 74th Street in Elmhurst.
“She was a good neighbor,” said Carl Brooks, 53. “I saw her on the ground unconscious. The firefighters were doing chest compressions. She looked burned on the face.”
Balthazar was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where she died.
An unidentified tenant was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was being treated for severe burns, officials said.
Three other residents and three firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, but officials said it was not suspicious.