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Officials: 5 NYPD Officers Rescue 2 Men From Burning Building In Queens

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Five NYPD officers were treated for smoke inhalation after rescuing two men -- one in a wheelchair -- from a burning building in Queens, officials said.

The fire swept through a multi-family home on 28th Street and 23rd Avenue in Astoria around 2:25 p.m. on Monday.

The officers who arrived on scene were actually called to the location for a reported robbery, but then discovered the fire.

The cops then started rescuing the trapped victims, including a 63-year-old man in a wheelchair, before firefighters arrived, authorities said.

The blaze gutted the building.

Though Fire Battalion Chief Frank Poulin said the exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation, officials believe the origin of the fire to be suspicious.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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