Bronx fire rips through row of businesses on Jerome Ave. FDNY issues another summons for parking at hydrant.
A fast-moving fire in the Bronx ripped through a row of nearly a dozen businesses on Jerome Avenue on Thursday morning.
More than 200 firefighters responded to the smoky scene just after 8:15 a.m. near the intersection of West Burnside Avenue in the Morris Heights section of the borough.
"When we arrived at the restaurant on Jerome, we had some fire and smoke in the restaurant. As we were extinguishing the fire, we continued to check the buildings and stores next door, eventually found fire in that whole row of stores coming up Burnside," FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said.
No injuries were reported and there was no immediate word on what might have caused the five-alarm fire.
Fire officials said a driver was issued a summons for parking by a nearby hydrant, something the department has been cracking down on following two recently deadly fires in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
"We are talking about parking on fire hydrants way too much these days," said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker, adding, "I appeal to all New Yorkers, parking on fire hydrants slows our firefighters down from getting water on the fire. If you think that parking on a fire hydrant is a convenience, it's not. It's a recipe for death... Please, please stop parking on fire hydrants."
The scene is located right next to the Burnside Avenue subway station, and 4 trains are bypassing the stop in both directions.
Business owner vows "This is not the end of us"
Chopper 2 flew overhead, where firefighters on four ladder trucks could be seen dousing the roof of a building from above, while thick smoke filled the intersection and surrounding area.
The damaged businesses appear to include a Total Wireless by Verizon store, two restaurants, a deli, a pharmacy and an optical shop.
"The grocery, they are gone. The pharmacy, gone too," one person said.
"This is heartbreaking for us. If you look around here, you might remember that during the pandemic, when there was social unrest and mass protests, Burnside Avenue was one of the corridors that had many businesses broken into," City Councilwoman Pierina Ana Sanchez said.
The president of the local merchant association said she heard about the fire and rushed in from her home in New Jersey, adding her business was set to celebrate its six-year anniversary next week.
"I feel like I'm reliving this moment again. I was looted in 2020, and we picked up, we have a good team, good support from the community and the local officials, and we picked up and we did it again," Jessica Betancourt said. "I'm going to do it again. This is not the end of us. This is the second devastation we've had here in the community, but we serve the community and we're not going to stop."
"Everything is gone. Everything is lost. Everybody's lost their business," another person added. "It's really dangerous."
"We gotta take it one day at a time. It's devastating," Betancourt said.
"It's going to take a couple of years to be able to put it back like they were. We have to deal with the insurance now for them to be able to recoup," New York State Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia said.
"Be positive and have faith that everything is going to be fine," Betancourt said.
City officials said the Department of Small Business Services will meet with owners to help them access financial aid and other recovery resources, as they begin the long road to rebuilding.
