A woman is dead and a man is hospitalized after a fire in Queens.

The flames broke out around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the basement of a two-story home on 214th Place in Bayside.

When firefighters arrived, they found a 57-year-old dead woman with a slashed neck and a 56-year-old man who tried to hang himself in a closet.

He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Police say the couple used to be in a relationship and that only the man lived in the home.

"It's crazy," said one local resident. "You never think something like this would happen in a nice area like Bayside, but it can happen anywhere."

Three firefighters were treated for minor injuries.