Authorities say they are investigating the cause of a fire at a Queens apartment building that left a 44-year-old woman dead.

A fire department spokesman says that the early morning blaze on 71st Avenue in Flushing was considered suspicious.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire, which was called in about 3:10 a.m. It was brought under control in less than an hour.

The woman was taken from a fifth-floor apartment.

She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.