The damage caused by the fire which broke out at 136-15 37th Ave. (Image by NYC Emergency Management)
Jan. 11, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
A fire tore through two buildings containing several businesses in Flushing Friday night.
The FDNY said that it received a call just before midnight Friday about a blaze inside a three-story building located at 136-15 37th Ave.
The fire ripped through the building– occupied by a hair salon, a barbershop and a seafood restaurant– and spread into an adjacent building that is home to a pharmacy. The residential units located above the businesses were also damaged.
The FDNY declared the blaze a 7-alarm fire and dispatched 50 units consisting of more than 200 firefighters. The FDNY eventually got the fire under control at 8:50 a.m. Saturday morning.
Seven firefighters suffered minor injuries and were transferred to a local hospital. There were no reports of any civilian injuries.
The FDNY said that the fire was accidental and caused by a hair iron being left on.
There was no smoke alarm present at the location, the FDNY said.
FDNY members operated on scene of a 7-alarm fire earlier this morning at 136-15 37th Avenue in Queens. pic.twitter.com/MKgcr8jzwi
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 9, 2021
One Comment
Not for nothing, but I’ve walked by that place many, many times and have thought to myself, ‘man, what a potential fire trap’ as the building is tiny, cramped with narrow labyrinthine passageways, and seemingly over occupied. IMHO, these subdivided rentals (and Flushing is full of them), are all one spark from disaster. FDNY really needs to step up fire code enforcement.