A recently shuttered soul food restaurant and an unoccupied second-floor apartment were gutted during a three-alarm fire in Springfield Gardens early Sunday morning.
The FDNY received a call just after midnight on Dec. 28 of a fire on the second floor of a mixed-use wood-frame building at 147-07 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.
“Members initiated an aggressive interior attack, but the fire was extending rapidly,” FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Tim Keenan said. “It got into the walls and the cockloft, and eventually we had fire through the roof.”
Due to the rapidly expanding fire conditions, firefighters were ordered out of the structure and transitioned to an exterior attack using two tower ladders. When the flame spread to a nearby home, a third alarm was transmitted bringing a total of 63 units with 192 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard and 147th Avenue.
The fire was brought under control at 3:20 a.m. with no injuries reported. FDNY fire marshals will determine the cause of the blaze.
Inspectors from the city’s Department of Buildings were called to conduct a structural stability inspection of the structure that was home to the Catfish Soulfood Cafe. Inspectors found fire damage throughout the building, including a collapsed roof. In the interest of public safety, DOB placed a full vacate order on the structure due to the severe extent of the fire damage. DOB also ordered a tight board fence be erected around the structure due to the risk of further collapse.
Additionally, DOB placed a partial vacate order at the adjacent property at 178-07 147th Ave., due to the risk of collapse from the remaining structure at 147-07 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.
