Residents of Middle Village are reeling after a four-alarm fire destroyed a strip of local businesses.
On the evening of July 28, firefighters battled the fire on Dry Harbor Road, which ripped through seven one-story commercial buildings. The fire was believed to have started in the cockloft of 64-76 Dry Harbor Road.
Six firefighters were transported to Elmhurst Hospital and Northwell Long Island Jewish Forest Hills with minor injuries. The FDNY’s Division 14 placed the fire under control at 12:25 a.m.
The FDNY is investigating the cause of the fire.
On Tuesday, July 29, NYPD officers were at the scene of the fire to assess damages and oversee maintenance crews boarding up the damaged buildings.
Bubble Works Cleaners, Dry Harbor Wine & Spirits, Jade Bamboo, and Sudden Impulse Hairstyling and Barbershop were destroyed in the blaze. The extent of the damage to Matson’s Deli and Universal Boxing Gym, which is on the block, is unclear. In a Tuesday Instagram post, the gym’s social media account stated that it would be closed until further notice.
The rest of the block, including Chicken Rotonda, Yuzu Sushi, Cookies N’ Cream, and Bridie’s Grillroom, was spared from any significant damage.
A community in disbelief
To many Middle Village residents, the four-alarm fire was shocking news.
“I think it’s horrible, so many stores are destroyed,” said Betty Lynch, 73.
“I go to this dry cleaner, I feel terrible for the [owner], she’s a very sweet lady, my heart goes out to her. It’s crazy, I had just dropped something off on Sunday,” added Christine Conety, 48.
Lynch, a two-decade-long Middle Village resident, added that the dry cleaners had been in the neighborhood for at least 30 years. Lynch and Conety said it was the first time they’ve seen this level of devastation in the community.
“All I saw were blazes,” said Alex G., who declined to share his last name. It took about an hour and 20 minutes to put out.”
Alex said that after he received an alert from Citizen App about the fire, he headed to the site in person on Monday evening.
“It’s sad. I talked to the owners [of the dry cleaners]. They’re very upset, but you can’t control a fire,” he said.
Other residents said they felt bad for Jade Bamboo, as it had recently reopened about a month ago after months of renovations.
Richie B., a longtime customer of Sudden Impulse Hairstyling and Barber Shop, said he was devastated to see the damage to his local barber shop.
“This barber, he’s been here for like 20 years. His name is Ralph; all the guys in the neighborhood love this guy,” he said. “ I just hope it’s not so bad that they can rebuild and come back, because if you’re out of business for too many months, sometimes you don’t come back, your losses just rack up and you can’t recover.”
Grateful but shaken
Phillis Torre, owner of Chicken Rotonda, said she woke up in shock at 4 a.m. early Tuesday morning.
“I saw in the [Middle] Village group. I woke up my husband and asked him to check the cameras,” she said. “ We were worried because we started this from our savings; it was really a bit of a shock.”
Torre said Chicken Rotonda opened after the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she feels deeply for the owners of the affected businesses.
“I feel bad for them, especially for the laundromat. [The owners] are older people, and I think they are going to retire soon. I hope everything goes smoothly for them.”
Torre said in the aftermath, she is now reflecting on the what-ifs.
“The first thing that came to mind is, if ever something bad happens, are we covered? How much is the coverage? How much is the damage?” she said.
Christian Lohse, manager of Bridie’s Grillroom, said he was thankful the restaurant didn’t face any damage.
“We’re lucky that we weren’t affected at all. We had smoke, and firefighters were washing the walls and cleaning everything,” he said.
Across the street from the damaged businesses, a few business owners and workers shared their feelings about the massive disruption in the neighborhood.
Ajith Saputhnthri, known as “AJ,” is the chef-owner of Framboise Patisserie, located at 64-59 Dry Harbor Rd.
Saputhnthri, who was in his shop Monday evening, described the early moments of chaos.
“I was up from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., I was watching, so many things were happening. I was scared because I thought the fire would spread,” he said. “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Yesterday I was so desperately scared.”
Saputhnthri said he and many business owners in the immediate area had a tight-knit relationship. “I use alot of liquor for the pastries and I buy from [the liquor store], I buy food for my workers, I support them, I give my order to the dry cleaners, I need a haircut, I go to the barber,” he said.
Saputhnthri hopes the owners have insurance to support rebuilding efforts. “ You have to have insurance for the place, the workers, everybody,” he said.
“This is devastating for everybody,” said Haylie L., who works at Best Tress Hair Salon, located next to the bakery.“ The owner of the wine store is also a friend of the workers in here,” she said. “We don’t even know what happened; we just know it was a fire, and that’s about it. I hope we can get to the bottom of everything and everybody’s ok.”
Elected officials speak out
Following Monday’s fire, Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo released a statement praising the FDNY firefighters for their response to the roaring blaze.
“The immediate and brave actions of emergency responders stopped additional destruction while safeguarding numerous residents and business owners who live in Middle Village,” he said.
Addabbo added that the fire’s occurrence in the cockloft highlights the need for the passage of a fire prevention bill he is advocating for in tandem with Assembly Member Jennifer Rajkumar.
The Residential Structure Fire Prevention Act (S.1615 / A. 2805) aims to encourage homeowners to fix cockloft fire hazards by offering tax credits, to promote safety through insurance discounts for installing smoke detection alarm systems in cocklofts and to ensure that repairs for fire prevention in cocklofts are eligible for state housing program funding.
Additionally, Addabbo’s office will continue to work with the FDNY, local businesses, and community leaders to reinforce safety measures and provide resources to the affected businesses.
District 30 Council Member Robert Holden called the blaze a ‘devastating blow to the community.’
“My office used to be across the street from there. We know the businesses; in fact, we still use Jade Bamboo. We all thought that they were one of the best Chinese food places in town. They were closed for so long for renovations, to remake the place…we couldn’t wait till they opened again… it’s really tragic,” he said.
Holden said he recognizes that it is extremely difficult for businesses to recover from fire-related incidents.
“It’s not like the way it used to be, where within a few months a business would be up and running. Now everything takes so long, with regulations and contractors, having insurance companies pay off,” he said.
Holden said this fire hits close to home for him and his staff, as they built relationships with the owners of the affected businesses.
“Since we were across the street for years, we developed a bond with those stores… when I got up in the morning and I looked at a photo, I couldn’t believe it, I said, ‘Oh my God.’ You could see the roof looked like it fell in, in most places,” he said.
Holden said he hopes the business owners can rebuild and reopen.
“I know they are going to rebuild — I hope — and we vowed to help them, but it will take quite some time,” he said.
