MASSIVE FIRE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY ENGULFS WAREHOUSE
January 31, 2015
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY
Firefighters are trying to gain control of a massive fire
engulfing a Williamsburg warehouse Saturday, as authorities fear the building
might now collapse.
The FDNY deployed a fire boat in the East River to battle
the flames, which are sending plumes of thick smoke over the neighborhood.
Strong winds carried ash and soot that fell from above
several blocks away from the waterfront blaze at North 11th Street.
“I smelled this burning smell and I looked up and saw all of
this smoke billowing,” said Heather Schmidt, 33, among the area residents with
their scarves tightly wrapped around their faces to fend off the soot and
smoke.
“I’m about a mile away and the smoke was very thick all the
way back there,” said Manhattan Ave. resident Anthony Charles, 40, who was
standing on the corner of North 11th St. and Wythe Ave. and flying a drone
about 200 feet above trying to catch footage of the blaze.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I smelled the smoke at about 6:30
am.”
No injuries have been reported yet, officials said.