A Queens house fire killed a dog and a neighbor’s beloved pet canary, the bird’s grieving owner told the Daily News.
The fire broke out in a house on 202nd St. near Jamaica Ave. in Hollis just before 9 a.m. Saturday. A dog died and three people in the home suffered minor injuries and were treated at area hospitals, FDNY officials said.
The fire also had an unexpected casualty — a 4-year-old canary in the house next door to the one that caught fire died when smoke wafted over from the burning residence, the bird’s owner, Kemraj Ramsaroop, said.
“I was watching TV and I see the smoke come through the light” fixture in the ceiling, Ramsaroop said.
Before he could rescue his feathered friend, the house filled with smoke. “By the time I run over there to see the bird, the whole place was full of smoke,” he said. “Everybody ran out.”
“The fire truck come but it happened in the next house,” he added.
The blaze was brought under control in about 40 minutes, FDNY officials said.
But when Ramsaroop returned home he found the canary dead in its cage. “He passed away,” he said. “I’m just sad.”
Ramsaroop has kept canaries since he was a child. “I love them back home, back home in Guyana,” he said.
Ramsaroop paid $500 for the bird four years ago after the bird he had for eight years died, he said.
Canaries typically cost $150 in pet stores but can be more expensive depending on coloration, breed or other unique characteristics.
“He whistled like four or five different kind of whistles,” Ramsaroop said. He plans to get a new canary.
