2 Hurt, Over 200 Firefighters Respond To 5-Alarm Queens Fire: FDNY

QUEENS, NY — Two people were hurt after a five-alarm fire erupted at a Queens business, spewing smoke into the neighborhood as hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze for over six hours.

The fire broke out at about 7 p.m. on the first floor of 138-18 101 Avenue, a plumbing and electrical supply store near the Van Wyck Expressway in Jamaica, fire officials said.

More than 200 firefighters and first responders rushed to the store, and were met with heavy smoke and flames that caused interior parts of the building to collapse, forcing officials to battle the blaze from the outside of the building for many hours, according to the FDNY.

"One of the big challenges was the water pressure problem. We didn't have enough water coming out of the hydromain system," Acting Chief of Department John Hodgens said, noting that the Department of Environmental Protection helped improve the water flow.

Videos uploaded to Citizen during the blaze show smoke billowing out of top of the building in thick plumes as sirens from dozens of fire trucks fill the street.

Shortly after 1 a.m. — after more than six hours battling the fire — firefighters finally got the blaze under control, but two officials were slightly hurt in the process, the FDNY said, noting that one firefighter was treated on the scene and the other was taken to a nearby hospital.

Fire officials did not specify the cause of the fire, noting that the case is under investigation by the Fire Marshall.