Mayor: White Plains Fire Injured 33, Destroyed Seven Businesses

The raging fire that shut down an entire block in White Plains Wednesday destroyed seven businesses—including a shoe store, restaurant and dry cleaners—and injured 31 firefighters and two civilians, according to White Plains officials.

The fire occurred at the intersection of East Post Road and Court Street. In total 14 businesses were damaged by the fire.

All of the injuries were minor, and most heat-related, according to White Plains Fire Chief Richard Lyman. By Thursday only one of the injured remained in the hospital and was expected to be released by the end of the day.

White Plains temperatures reached the high 90s on Wednesday, dangerous conditions for firefighters wearing 150-plus pounds of equipment.

"On a really hot day like this the body stresses out very quickly without a cover, but you are supplying an insulating layer of clothing which will heat the body very quickly," Lyman said at a press conference on Thursday, comparing the inside of the buildings themselves to an oven.

The fire began at approximately 2:30 p.m. in the basement of the Indian restaurant Bengal Tiger at 140 E. Post Rd. 

By 4 p.m., the fire had traveled to the rooftop and spread to at least two other nearby businesses.

"Because of the fire's location [in the basement], it was very hard to get water there," White Plains Mayor Adam Bradley explained at a press conference Wednesday.

As of approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday firefighters we were still battling flames and looking for new hot spots, Lyman said. Smoke was still seen inside several buildings on Thursday afternoon.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined, but reports note restaurant patrons escaped the fire unharmed, although one woman was taken to White Plains Hospital Center for heat exhaustion.

Though the blaze was concentrated on one city block, several blocks surrounding the area were cloudy with smoke—residents watched the blaze with makeshift masks and face covers. Nearby roads also experienced mild flooding from hydrant and hose run-off.

The fire comes only a day after a drought warning was issued by the City of White Plains, cautioning the entire population of White Plains and Scarsdale to cut back on their use of water this summer to prevent a far-reaching drought that could be otherwise caused by ongoing Kensico Dam work.

The county also banned open fires Wednesday, citing an "increased risk of fire caused by record-breaking temperatures with very little rain" according to Joseph Stout, commissioner of the county parks.

And as a result of this blaze, residents have been asked to conserve water further. The amount of water used to fight the blaze, now paired with this week's heat wave have created significant water shortages in the city.

"I've never seen this much water being used on a regular basis," said White Plains Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti. "For about a week now we've been right at or over-setting maximum consumption records and of course yesterday was the all-time record."

Scarsdale firefighters were among those responding to the scene at Post Road, and a fire department official said on Wednesday they expected to be there for hours. Firefighters from Greenburgh, Hartsdale and Fairview also joined White Plains battling the flames. 

"The mutual aid system is working and working well," Bradley said.

This fire was unique not only for its size, Bradley added. It was the second blaze White Plains firefighters had to battle today, happening on the heels of a fire at a Con Edison plant. That fire, which was reported about an hour before the East Post Road fire started, was originally thought to be the more dangerous of the two fires.

"This was a very unique situation because we had two very major concerns happening at the same time," Bradley said on Thursday. "I don't know if we have ever had those kinds of unique circumstances."