A terrifying four-alarm fire blazed for nearly three hours in Mill Basin on March 9 and destroyed four homes in what residents say was the worst inferno ever to strike the waterfront neighborhood.
Authorities say 168 firefighters from 39 different units — including fire boats — were called out to extinguish the fire that began at a home on National Drive near Mill Avenue at 2:20 pm on Monday. The fire then spread to three neighboring houses while firefighters worked to quell the flames that ravaged roofs and sizzled siding.
A neighbor who witnessed the conflagration, expressed sympathy for her neighbors who lost their homes, furniture, clothing, and photo albums in the disaster.
“It was horrible — they lost everything!” said Shira Galman, who also lives on National Drive. “Everything is destroyed there.”
Six firefighters were injured while trying to extinguish the spreading fire. Our photographer Steven Solomonson even witnessed one firefighter leap out of a second-story window to escape the ferocious flames.
The fire was finally under control by 5 pm, according to a spokesman for the Fire Department.
Galman said she is grateful that the firefighters were eventually able to control the massive fire before it spread any to more homes, including her own.
“They had it under control, thank god,” she said, adding that she still can’t get over the sheer size of the fire. “It was one of the biggest fires I’ve ever seen.”
Fire marshals are still investigating the cause of the blaze.
