Just days before Christmas, a five-alarm fire ripped through a Sunnyside apartment building.

Six months later, displaced residents are still not allowed in the building.

“I grabbed just my bag, and I thought id be back in an hour,” displaced resident Ruth Santiago said.

Santiago has lived in the rent-stabilized complex for 30 years. Her mother and brother also lived in the building.

“I thought it was just maybe a minor issue, but then when we left the building and saw just how large the area of smoke was, we realized that it was a much larger issue than we anticipated,” she said.

Santiago, alongside other displaced residents and Queens elected officials, held a rally outside the property Wednesday to call on the building’s landlord, A&E Real Estate, to extend the temporary lease agreement given to the nearly 30 families who accepted them.

The lease is set to expire Tuesday.

The FDNY said the fire started after a contractor used an illegal blow torch to remove lead paint off a door on the sixth floor.

“We became homeless on December 20, through no fault of our own. The negligence of A&E caused a five-alarm fire in our building. Twenty-eight families to temporary housing, and they are now being threatened with eviction because he refuses to extend their temporary leases,” displaced resident Melissa Orlando said.

Residents said A&E has not taken sufficient steps to repair the building or provide stable housing solutions and that’s why they’re now taking legal action.

“As a result, this afternoon, my firm filed a 46-page complaint against A&E alleging amongst other things, gross negligence, negligence breach of contract, breach of warranty of habitability, breach of quiet enjoyment,” Brett Gallaway, an attorney, said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for A&E Real Estate said, in part, “We have made steady progress stabilizing the building, but the damage was severe and there are no quick fixes here. We have been transparent with residents about those challenges, and that the emergency hotel stays and discounted apartments we provided after the fire were a temporary solution to give everyone breathing room as they made longer-term plans.”

According to the Buildings Department, in April, a commissioner’s order required the hired engineer to submit weekly progress reports and a schedule of repairs to the DOB by April 29.

The department said it has received progress reports. However, they have not received a schedule of repairs therefore; the engineer has been hit with a violation for failure to comply with the order.

Santiago said she and her family did not accept the temporary lease agreement and are staying somewhere more permanent. But, she said work needs to be done quickly so she can finally go back to the place she calls home.

“We could not risk being in the same situation six months later,” Santiago said. “All I ask of A&E is to do your part and to do the work to get this building ready. There’s no doubt we will be back. That’s where we live, that’s where we want to be, that’s where our home is.”

Fourteen people, including four firefighters, were injured that day while hundreds were estimated displaced, according to officials.