Fire destroys nine stores in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, leaving behind nine firefighters and one paramedic after a fire broke out at a chocolate shop at Lee’s restaurant
- Firefighters are working to put out a blaze that started in Williamsburg and has raised six levels of alerts
- Firefighters arrived at Lee Avenue and Hooper Street just before Sunday noon
- Nine firefighters and one paramedic are said to have been injured in the fire
A massive inferno has destroyed nine businesses in Brooklyn, New York, injuring nine firefighters and one paramedic.
Rescue workers arrived in Williamsburg at Lee Avenue and Hooper Street just before noon on Sunday and called in additional units within minutes of the fire hitting the scene.
The first-floor inferno started at a chocolate shop and spread to nine nearby retail stores, prompting the building to be evacuated quickly.
Footage from the scene showed firefighters preparing to fight the blaze as billows of thick black smoke billowed from stores.
A massive inferno has destroyed several businesses in Brooklyn, New York, injuring nine firefighters and a paramedic
Firefighters used a cherry picker to douse the blaze, which had left parts of the store scorched and blackened with ash.
“We cut the gates with saws and were able to get in,” FDNY chief John Hodgens said in a news conference Sunday afternoon.
“As they entered the building, there was heavy fire throughout the building.” “It was a challenging fire.” The fire was under control at 3:45 p.m.
Early this morning in Brownsville, firefighters battled another blaze at a high-rise building on Livonia Street.
The fire broke out on the 11th floor of the building and three children were hospitalized as a result.
The children were alone at this point and it was difficult to get into the apartment which did not have a smoke detector.
Firefighters used a cherry picker to douse the blaze, which had left parts of the store scorched and blackened with ash
The first-floor inferno started at a chocolate shop and spread to nine nearby retail stores, prompting the building to be evacuated quickly
“The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the fire occurred on the 11th floor, so that’s a challenge from the start,” Hodgens said.
“They got there, the door was locked, the three children were inside, there was quite a heavy fire inside.”
“Our members had to force open the door and crawl inside. They found two of the children in the living room and one just inside the door. They were all unconscious.”
This is an evolving story.