Bronx shop owners face uncertain future after massive fire in Morris Heights
Shop owners along a bustling strip of businesses in the Bronx are facing an uncertain future after a massive five-alarm fire tore through their stores.
The fire ripped through the row of stores along West Burnside Avenue on Thursday, gutting at least eight small shops. While the row is now boarded-up, officials said some of the stores are beyond repair and may need to be demolished.
Shop owners face long road to recovery
The Morris Heights business owners said they lost everything. Their employees said they need help fast, since they are now out of their jobs.
"What comes next? Are these businesses going to be able to come back onto their feet? What happens to the staff?" Councilwoman Pierina Ana Sanchez said.
"We don't know when it's going to happen, but definitely it's going to be demolished," optical business owner Jessica Betancourt said.
"We also did a lot of medical testing. We had machines called OCT, these things are $40,000 per machine, and we lost five of them. Hundreds of thousands of damage. It's going to hit hard," Thomas DiBenedetto said.
Several other neighboring businesses survived but were also badly damaged.
"I hope they're going to help me. I don't think I have insurance," one person said.
The local merchant's association met with New York City Small Business Services, FDNY, Emergency Management and landlords on Friday to help the business owners get back on their feet through fundraising, unemployment services and insurance claims.
Shop owners said the support is appreciated, but they know the road to recovery will take months, at least.
The community has had to rebuild once before, city leaders said. Many of the businesses were vandalized during unrest that followed the George Floyd protests in 2020.
Driver issued summons for parking near hydrant
According to the FDNY, a driver was issued a summons for parking by a hydrant nearby during the Morris Heights fire.
The fire department has been cracking down on the problem after recent deadly fires in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
"We are talking about parking on fire hydrants way too much these days," Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said. "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."
No injuries were reported in the fire on West Burnside Avenue and the cause has not yet been revealed.
