Dozens of businesses damaged by massive fire in Flushing, Queens
NEW YORK -- Hundreds of first responders were called to a five-alarm fire in Queens on Thursday. It starting around 6 a.m. inside a commercial building along Main Street in Downtown Flushing.
As CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported, there is very little left of what were dozens of small shops inside the building.
The sidewalk along Main Street was littered with water-soaked soot and debris. Despite the large-scale destruction, the worst was avoided.
"We have no reports of injuries, no reports of missing civilians at this time. But we expect it to be an extended operation," said FDNY Acting Chief Richard Blatus.
The FDNY said the first call came in around 6 a.m. When they arrived, they found thick, black smoke shooting out from the entryway and flames coming from the top.
Firefighters were on the scene for hours. Their work was complicated by the fact that the roof caved in, limiting what they could do.
"We will be here for most of the day, if not through the night. Once the fire is completely extinguished, we'll have DOB evaluate the structure and see what kind of searches we can undertake," Blatus said.
City Council Member Sandra Ung represents the area and said the business owners -- not just the ones in the where the fire started -- will need help.
"There's a lot of water damage all around the small businesses here," Ung said.
Ung said a similar fire in the neighborhood years ago took quite some time to recover from. She anticipates a similar challenge this time.
The fire also caused commuter headaches as smoke caused the MTA to evacuate the nearby 7 line station. Subway service was disrupted in area, but has resumed.
"As a New Yorker, you've got to know how to be flexible and move around," resident Yhamir Chabur said.
Once firefighters clear out of the area, it'll take weeks, if not months, to get things back to somewhat normal.
