Sunnyside Inferno

Fire devastated a row of Sunnyside stores when a four-alarm fire spread through a commercial strip on Queens Boulevard. The inferno broke out on August 21 at approximately 2 p.m., possibly due to a duct fire that began in the kitchen of Blooms Public House, an Irish restaurant and bar. It quickly moved from one business to the next inside the block of one-story buildings.
"I live on 39th Street and I heard the engines. They had so many engines and ambulances there. It was terrible," said Mrs. Billy, who lives nearby.
The streets quickly filled with smoke as nearly 200 firefighters took turns battling the blaze, which was raging in Nams Sun Market, a fruit stand and grocery; Pronto Envio, a computer center; The Butchers Block deli; Dunkin Donuts; Wus Cleaners; and the Grafton Travel Agency. Ten blocks of Queens Boulevard were closed and service on the No. 7 train was suspended due to the elevated lines proximity to the fire.
By the time the fire was brought under control at 7:03 p.m., 17 firefighters had been injured and taken to Elmhurst Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens. One member of the NYPD was being treated for heat exhaustion. Residents of a three-story apartment building located behind the strip of stores had been evacuated, but they were later allowed to return.
The owner of Blooms, declined to comment on the incident. The restaurant had recently been renovated and it boasted a large collection of antiques and artwork. One local woman mourned the loss of the restaurant which, according to her, was a great place to spend time.
"I came to Blooms often. It was a beautiful restaurant and they spent so much money on it. Its terrible," said Daisy Valdez.
At 10:30 a.m. the following day, crews started cleaning the sidewalks while officials from the fire department began assessing the damage to the strip, which had included businesses from all ethnic groups.
Prabir Mitra, the owner of the Dunkin Donuts outlet, had recently put $350,000 worth of renovations into the business. Though he called the fire a tragedy, he didnt place any blame.
"Im not angry at anyone. Nobody does these things intentionally," he said. "Im angry with my luck. Business was going very well and now everything is destroyed."
One of the businesses that was gutted in the fire, The Butchers Block, was a neighborhood staple for Sunnyside and Woodsides Irish community. They had a large and loyal following of customers who knew they could purchase imported Irish goods there.
Margaret Beirne went to The Butchers Block the morning of the fire to get steaks for the weekend. Recognizing a long-time customer, the man behind the counter told her to come back Saturday, when she could get a better deal. The day after the conflagration, she couldnt believe it.
"We come here all the time. We buy all our biscuits there. The owners are the two most honest people youll ever meet," she said. "They were always nice. I feel sorry for everybody, for the people who worked there and the people who shopped there."
One Sunnyside resident was saddened by the fate of the shop.
"Ive been coming here to shop for three years. Im broken hearted about what happened," said Mary Michalski. "I always came here for my meals. Im very sorry about this and Im going to miss it."
The incident caused repercussions that went beyond fire damage. The Nak Won Reformed Church on 42nd Street was flooded by the thousands of gallons of water that were used to put out the blaze.
"We couldnt go inside so we dont know whats damaged or not. We know the basement was flooded last night as high as five or six feet. Now, I think its gone down to three inches," said Sharon Kim, a church member who was waiting behind police tape. "I think the inspector has to come and check everything before we can go back in. All we know is that there is a lot of damage."