Twenty-five fire departments and up to 198 firefighters respond to five-alarm fire which has destroyed Queens Boulevard businesses including Sidetracks bar and restaurant.
Twelve people are confirmed to have been injured in a five-alarm fire that broke out between 45th and 46th streets along Queens Boulevard, in Sunnyside, Queens.
The fire broke out at around 2:14 am at New York Style Eats is (45-02 Queens Blvd.) a local diner, according to Sunnyside Post. The fire then extended to the surrounding businesses including Sidetracks, a popular Irish bar and restaurant, Zen Yai, UPS, Romantic Depot and the hardware store on 45th Street.
FDNY Assistant Chief Anthony De Vita said the firefighters responded to the fire within four minutes. So far 12 people, seven of them firefighters, have been injured. The injuries took place after a collapse of a structure as a result of a backdraft or smoke explosion.
@NY1 this is the collapse of sidetracks at the Sunnyside fire. #sidetracks #sunnysidefire pic.twitter.com/wjxBs1Lblq
— LiCers LiC (@LiCersLiC) December 13, 2018
Luckily none of the injuries are life-threatening. So far 198 firefighters have been called to the scene.
One witness told NBC "I felt the building shake and I started to smell smoke," Nicole Zeinert said.
"So, I ran in to get my husband and we grabbed our cats and coats and just ran outside."
Residents and their pets, disturbed by the fire, sought refuge in a Wendy’s restaurant, nearby, NBC reports.
The residential building in the area are being protected from the flames by the FDNY. At the time of print, the site was being treated as an active fire and the FDNY is expected to stay on site for the day.
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