5 FDNY firefighters, 1 civilian injured at warehouse blaze
About 140 crewmembers responded and encountered heavy fire
By Emma Seiwell
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Five firefighters and a civilian were injured Wednesday afternoon in a Queens warehouse fire that took over four hours to put out, according to the FDNY.
The blaze broke out inside the building, which contained portable air conditioning units, on 31st St. near 35th Ave. in Astoria around 10:15 a.m., officials said.
About 140 firefighters responded to the scene where they encountered “heavy fire,” said FDNY Chief Chuck Downey.
#FDNY units are continuing to battle a 2-alarm fire at 34-40 31 Street in Queens. There are currently three non-life threatening injuries to Firefighters and one non-life threatening injury to a civilian. pic.twitter.com/30nitJPw60
— FDNY (@FDNY) March 29, 2023
“We quickly stretched hand lines, made searches, ventilated,” he added while speaking at the scene.
Once firefighters got inside, they discovered A/C units stacked from the floor to the ceiling, according to the chief.
“It becomes more difficult with commercial-type structures,” Downey said, noting the abundance of inventory and narrow aisle spaces.
One firefighter had serious but non-life-threatening injuries, FDNY officials said.
Four additional smoke-eaters and one civilian suffered minor injuries.
At about 2:45 p.m., the blaze was declared under control, officials said.
Fire marshals were still investigating what sparked the fire on Wednesday afternoon.
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