By Michael V. Cusenza
Nearly 200 members of the City Fire Department battled a five-alarm blaze that erupted Tuesday evening at a tire shop on Liberty Avenue in Jamaica.
The FDNY received a 911 call around 5:15 p.m. at 150-17 Liberty Ave.—an auto parts store that was still open for business when the blaze began. According to the FDNY and published reports, all employees safely made it out of the shop.
Photo Courtesy of FDNY
Firefighters used foam operation to combat the scene.
Officials said that when firefighters arrived, they were met with dangerous conditions and heavy fire.
According to FDNY brassd, part of the building collapsed and the tires themselves made it difficult for the firefighters to extinguish the flames.
The FDNY used foam operation to combat the scene, according to Spectrum News NY 1.
Photo Courtesy of FDNY
Nearly 200 firefighters battled the blaze into Tuesday night.
“As tires start to melt, the liquid that they create then starts to burn, which necessitates us to use the foam to extinguish. The number of tires they had stacked up was considerable,” said FDNY Acting Chief of Department John Esposito, who was at the scene, along with newly-minted City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Photo Courtesy of FDNY
City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker discusses the inferno with FDNY officials at Tuesday night’s scene.
