The FDNY battled a stubborn three-alarm fire in College Point that started in a two-story home near the waterfront of Flushing Bay and threatened a commercial building next door on Sunday evening.
Dispatchers received a 911 call of a fire at 20-14 119th St. at 5:42 p.m., and units arrived at the scene in three minutes and found a heavy volume of fire in the second-story and basement of the wood-frame private dwelling that threatened to extend to an adjoining two-story warehouse and the FDNY signaled a second-alarm at 6:05 p.m.
“This is beyond scary to see,” a nearby resident said. “The firefighters are doing the best they can.”
A large section of the private home’s roof collapsed in the rear as the blaze moved to a third alarm at 6:15 p.m., bringing 33 units and 138 fire and EMS personnel to the block between 20th Avenue and 22nd Avenue. Firefighters, using six hose lines and two tower ladders, worked to knock down the main body of the fire.
“Thankfully, nobody was inside the structure,” FDNY Assistant Chief Mike Meyers said. “They also had a firewall in the commercial occupancy. The firewall worked and [the fire] wasn’t able to get into the warehouse.”
Weather conditions also helped the FDNY bring the fire under control without spreading further.
“Thankfully, the weather today was a little bit more mild,” Meyers said. “Usually, coming off the water like this, wind would be a big factor, which could have fanned the flames a little bit more, so we were able to contain it to that one structure.”
The fire was brought under control at 7:25 p.m., and one firefighter suffered a minor injury. FDNY fire marshals will determine what sparked the blaze.
“Thank you to the FDNY and all responding agencies for your swift action and bravery in containing this massive fire,” Council Member Vickie Paladino said. “Your dedication to protecting our community is deeply appreciated.”
Inspectors from the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) arrived on the scene to conduct a structural stability inspection at the home and found heavy fire damage, including charring throughout the structure, all windows and doors removed, and approximately 50% of the roof missing. DOB issued a complete order for the structure to a representative of the property owner. DOB forensic engineers will be performing follow-up inspections to assess the structural stability of the structure
