#Fatal Queens blaze may have been an electrical fire: sources

The Queens  inferno that killed three people in a multifamily home chronically crammed with too many residents was likely the result of an  electrical issue, law-enforcement sources told The Post on Sunday.

The three-family building in Elmhurst, which allegedly had dozens of people living there in May,  has been cited 26 times for multiple infractions by the city Department of Buildings since 2010 — yet only settled one of those violations in the past decade, records show.

City Hall did not respond to The Post on Sunday when asked whether more could have been done   to address the site’s multiple violations, which include alleged illegal room conversions and  more than $200,000 in outstanding fines.

 A  preliminary probe of Saturday’s blaze suggests it was electrical in nature, law-enforcement sources said.

Police have not identified the three people who died in  the 5:40 a.m. blaze, but neighbors said two were trapped behind a locked second-floor door.

There were eight residents reported living at the address, 90-31 48th Ave., at the time, fire officials said.

Police and fire officials have conferred with the Queens District Attorney’s Office and determined that   there was no foul play involved in the fire, sources said.

City building records reveal that the property has had a checkered past.

A complaint in May alleged there were 60 people crammed into the house, and another in 2018 reported that a garage had also been illegal converted into an apartment, Building Department records show.

The property has been slapped with  27 violations since 2010 — with all still open but one.

The resolved issue involved a zoning violation that city building inspectors discovered this past May, the last time they were at the site, records show. The owner had illegally paved over the front yard and paid a $625 fine, according to the DOB.

The department issued a partial order to vacate the property in February 2018, when six illegally converted apartments were found by city inspectors, DOB spokesman Andrew Rudansky said Sunday.

Rudansky said the department  issued “multiple”  citations against the owner after that for  failing to address   violations, with a total of $217,000 in fines racking up.

He said inspectors examined the building again after the fire.

“Our investigation found that fire had caused severe damage throughout 90-31 48th Street, including a collapse of the roof, partial collapse of the interior floors, and heavy damage to the staircases inside of the building,” Rudansky said in an e-mail.

Two neighboring buildings were also damaged, he said.

Property records show that the house is currently owned by a limited liability company, 9031 48 Ave LLC, which purchased the building earlier this year after it went into foreclosure.

According to New York’s Department of State, Eric Chen is listed as the registered agent for the company.

A man at Chen’s Flushing address, which is also the address for the LLC, declined to comment to The Post on Sunday.