Massive Fire Breaks Out at NYC Department of Transportation Building in Queens
WILLETS POINT, Queens (WABC) — A massive fire engulfed the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) building in Queens, resulting in injuries to at least five firefighters. The blaze, which reached five alarms, started at the DOT Harper Street Plant on Monday night.
The Harper Street Plant, a warehouse and maintenance facility located in Willets Point, houses various equipment and agency vehicles. Shocking footage from the Citizen App revealed an intense orange glow illuminating the night sky as smoke and flames billowed out of the building.
With the fire rapidly intensifying, additional fire crews were dispatched to the scene. Approximately 200 firefighters tirelessly fought to combat the flames. However, they quickly encountered a major obstacle in the form of low water pressure in the area.
FDNY Assistant Chief Joseph Ferrante stated, “Due to a low water pressure in this area, it was very challenging for us, but we are very close to the bay, we had our special operations units, and we used engines in sequence, and we drafted water from the bay.”
Fire officials struggled for over four hours before finally gaining control of the inferno. Firefighters continued to tackle hot spots that persisted into Tuesday morning.
Among the chaos, five firefighters sustained injuries, primarily due to heat exhaustion. Fortunately, they were all reported to be in stable condition.
Ferrante attributed the injuries to extreme weather conditions, saying, “You know temperatures went up again, summer is not over, it got hot last night. It was very humid when I got here, it was really just the extreme weather conditions that caused these fatigue-like injuries.”
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the fire marshal will conduct an investigation to determine its origin.
This incident serves as a reminder of the brave work undertaken by the FDNY and the risks they face to protect the community. New Yorkers are urged to exercise caution and vigilance during such emergencies.
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