Firefighters finally brought a seven-alarm blaze at a vacant Brooklyn factory building under control after battling it for more than 16 hours.
The fire was so intense that firefighters had to fight the blaze from outside while the insulation in the old refrigeration units burned. Six firefighters sustained minor injuries before the blaze was contained just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said. It broke out shortly after 3 p.m. Monday.
The burning wreckage at 3250 Fulton St. in Cypress Hills turned out to be nine interconnected buildings, part of the former Blue Ridge Farms Food processing plant, according to FDNY officials.
"It was a deep-seated fire with caulking, so we never went inside the building," said FDNY Assistant Chief Robert Boyce. "We went to a fourth alarm at 6:02 p.m. We have 40 units and 170 firefighters on the scene."
The fire snarled commutes for thousands of people, blocked businesses and concerned neighbors who live in the area.
Amanda Rodriguez was on the J train when service got suspended because the smoke from the fire was clouding visibility.
"I was rerouted on the shuttle buses," said Rodriguez. "All the way to Jamaica, down to Atlantic. Forty-five minutes, in a ride that usually takes 15 minutes."
Cypress Hills resident Dawson Watson said he feared the worst watching the massive building burn.
"I'm wondering if it's going to explode," he said. "We live right around the block."
Local
Service remains suspended on the J train between the Broadway Junction and Parsons-Archer stations.
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