Firefighters are battling, at this hour, a five-alarm inferno in a large school bus repair shop on the Brooklyn-Queens border Saturday morning, FDNY officials said.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries in the fire, officials say. There were no injuries to civilians, officials say.
The fire broke out at 7:32 a.m. on Oct. 31 inside the Logan Bus Company facility at 3432 Atlantic Ave. in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. The bus company serves a large portion of the South Brooklyn and South Queens neighborhoods.
When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was billowing from the building and several buses were already on fire inside the building that stretched an entire city block.
The flames spread into the roof, bringing the fire to a fifth alarm by 9:06 a.m. It required a massive Fire Department response, with 39 units and 168 firefighters surrounding the building with hoses when commanders realized there was a threat of collapse.
Smoke could be seen for miles, residents say, and much of the neighboring Cypress Hills and Ozone Park communities could see or smell the smoke.
Hundreds of residents watched from their homes and from the streets as the fire raged. The bus company employs hundreds of people.
Sylvia Gonzalez, a resident of the area, said officials evacuated her from her home because of the fire, along with numerous other neighboring residents.
“I was worried that the fire was going to get into my home,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve got about 16 people in my house and everyone had to get out.”
The fire was brought under control at 10:56 a.m. The cause of the fire was no yet known and is under investigation by fire marshals.
