9 hurt as massive Queens tire shop fire spreads to apartments above

The New York City Fire Department spent hours battling a raging fire above a tire shop in Queens early Saturday. 

FDNY officials said at least nine people were hurt, including firefighters, children and a pregnant woman, and that the building partially collapsed in the blaze in Ridgewood.

Burning tires made battling fire challenging, FDNY says

More than 100 FDNY members responded at around 4 a.m. as heavy flames engulfed three floors of the mixed-use building on Flushing Avenue, between Metropolitan Avenue and Woodward Avenue. 

Windows on the storefront were completely blown out by the time firefighters got the flames under control about three-and-a-half hours later.

FDNY Assistant Chief David Simms said firefighters performed what's called an interior attack, but had to switch to an exterior operation due to the heavy flames and a collapse in the rear of the building. 

Simms said the stubborn fire was made even more challenging by the burning tires. 

"When we do get hydrocarbon fires, which is basically a rubber fire or a fuel fire, we will use foam on it. Foam will aid us in smothering the material. It cuts off the oxygen to the fire, causes a faster extinguishment," the assistant fire chief said.

According to Simms, the fire started in the tire shop and spread to the floors above.

"I don't know really what happened. We had the business there for a lot of years and never has this happened before," said Manuel Huacazaca, who has owned the tire shop for seven years.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

About 2 dozen displaced by Queens fire

Four firefighters and five of the buildings' tenants suffered minor injuries. All were expected to be OK.

Building manager Jesus Maldonado said two children and a pregnant woman were among the injured. 

"I ran up to get my phone and I called 911, and it just happened very quickly," Maldonado said. "I was concerned for all the people, concerned for my neighbors, I've known them for years."

He said he was grateful everyone managed to evacuate.

"Everybody's alive, and we're happy about that. Everything else will fix itself," he said.

Resident Robert Rodonis and his roommate didn't even get a chance to grab their cat and dog after being awakened by neighbors.

"I just grabbed my jacket. I had no socks. I just threw my sneakers on," he said.

Resident Alex Rodriguez said his 75-year-old mom was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

"It's gonna be hard on a lot of people," he said. "I just pray to God that everybody can be helped."

The American Red Cross said it was assisting at least 25 people, including children, from eight households who were displaced by the fire.

Maldonado said the building will be evaluated next week to determine what may be salvageable or have to be demolished.