By Bryan Schwartzman
Fire raced through the top floor of a vacant warehouse at 106-13 57th St. in Jamaica Monday, damaging the building so severely that the city ordered an emergency demolition.
Paul Wein, spokesman for the city Department of Buildings, said more than 70 percent of the three-story brick building was destroyed by the fire. Wein said although the building was vacant, it was structurally sound prior to the fire.
Firefighters responded to the two-alarm blaze at 9:44 a.m. and had the fire under control by 11:15 a.m., according to the Fire Department. There were no injuries.
The block was closed off as 122 firefighters and five engines battled through heavy rains to subdue the fire.
Fire Department spokesman Michael Regan said the cause of the fire was not yet known and the possibility of arson was being investigated.
On Tuesday several workers were called in to clear fallen debris and board up the windows, the Buildings Department spokesman said. While the outside of the building appeared relatively intact, a look inside revealed mounds of rubble as if the interior had collapsed on itself.
Wein said a building must be boarded up and secured before it is demolished. At press time the building had not yet been demolished.
The fire apparently did not cause too much of a stir among the building
