A five-alarm fire tore through three Sunset Park warehouses early Wednesday morning and was still smoldering nearly 12 hours later.
The blaze broke out at 17 53rd St., in an industrial waterfront area, shortly after midnight on March 11. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they were met with “heavy, heavy fire” that had already begun to spread to two neighboring industrial buildings, according to FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods.
It was too dangerous for firefighters to remain inside, Woods said. Firefighters immediately ordered all members out of the building and triggered multiple alarms to bring more than 250 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene.
Explosions could be heard inside the building and plumes of smoke and flame shot from the roof as firefighters mounted their offensive. Crews attacked the flames from six tower ladders and two fireboats in the bay.
“At one point, we were using approximately 15,000 gallons of water a minute on this fire,” Woods said.
By 6 a.m., the blaze had been brought somewhat under control, but fires were still actively burning, Woods said, and hundreds of firefighters remained on the scene.
“We are going to have resources here for quite some time, we will be bringing units in to relieve the other units,” he said.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries related to smoke inhalation. Early on Wednesday morning, Woods said the thick smoke was “banked down,” and was not clearing away from the scene. Locals were advised to keep their windows closed.
The warehouse at 17 53rd St. was completely destroyed, Woods said. Its roof collapsed, and there was danger that the walls would too. The other two were badly damaged.
“There is extensive, extensive damage to these buildings, just complete losses,” Woods said.
The building where the fire began, at 17 53rd St., is home to a tile manufacturer called Mr. Tile. It was not immediately clear what was housed in the two other buildings affected — which seemed to be 9 and 11 53rd Street. The industrial stretch also houses an Utz Foods distribution center and an electrical supply store, but those buildings appeared to be intact.
FDNY fire marshals will investigate the cause of the fire, which was still unclear as of Wednesday afternoon.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
