By Howard Koplowitz
There were no reports of any deaths or injuries to any of the occupants, according to Fire Department spokesman David Billig. But he said one firefighter was taken to Jamaica Hospital where he was listed in stable condition.Another Fire Department official said there were five firefighters who sustained minor injuries with the most serious being a broken ankle. Billig said the cause of the fire is still not known but fire marshals will investigate.It is unclear whether or not the fire was deemed suspicious. About 140 firefighters Ðabout 35 units from the DepartmentÐ tended to the blaze, according to Billig.The fire, which encompassed three adjacent homes, started at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and was put out at about 5:00 p.m., according to a Department official. Even as firefighters doused the blaze during a light, freezing rain, heavy white smoke could be seen smoldering out of the roof as scores of spectators looked on from the corner of 89th Avenue and 183rd Street. Fire trucks also lined the corners of neighboring blocks, which were also cordoned off by fire lines.The front of the home at 89-13 183rd St. was destroyed as if a fiery wrecking ball had plowed through it. The rear of the house was exposed amid smoky debris.To the right of the partially collapsed home, damage was also sustained, with some of the siding on the roof torn off. But it is unclear whether that was from the blaze or from firefighters trying to get to the fire.To the left of the partially collapsed house, siding on one home became charred debris as the fire tore through it.The 89th block of 183rd Street, a quiet residential street close to the more bustling Hillside Avenue, is lined with one and two-family houses.Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173
