WATCH: ‘Suspicious’ Fire Rips Through Vacant New Utrecht Avenue Building
https://twitter.com/kellystuart/status/673505144898723841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A 3-alarm fire deemed “suspicious” by fire officials tore through a vacant building on New Utrecht Avenue early Sunday morning, impacting subway service in both directions.
More than 100 firefighters battled to the blaze, which began at 7:11am at a two-story commercial building at 8501 New Utrecht Avenue, and three were taken to Lutheran Hospital with minor injuries, according to the FDNY. The fire was under control by 9:21am.
Northbound D train service was suspended for the day Sunday, while southbound D trains skipped the 18th Avenue station. Today, D trains are skipping 18th Avenue in both direction until further notice.
Fire Chief James Leonard told the New York Daily News that the fire appeared deliberately caused:
“We had very heavy fire on arrival in an unoccupied building, which that by itself needs to be investigated,” he said.
The second floor of the building collapsed an hour-and-a-half after the fire began. Leonard said the rest of the structure could also collapse.
As of today, firefighters are still on the scene tending to small pockets of fire in order to ready the building for demolition, say officials. No civilians were injured in the blaze.
