A four-alarm fire ripped through the busy business strip of Bainbridge Avenue overnight on Tuesday, Oct. 10, with several businesses impacted by the blaze, which saw fire trucks and news crews take up the section of the avenue stretching from Van Cortlandt Avenue as far as Mosholu Parkway North. Firefighters initially said there were no injuries, but later confirmed one person was transported to North Central Bronx Hospital.

A spokesperson from the fire department said they received a call at 3.49 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, for reports of a fire at 3117 Bainbridge Avenue between East [205th] Street and East 206th Street at a one-story, commercial establishment.

 

The spokesperson said the fire escalated to a 2-alarm blaze, necessitating 25 fire units, comprising 106 fire fighters and EMS personnel, the latter seen waiting with stretchers along the avenue as firefighters battled the fire.

The fire escalated to a 3-alarm emergency at 4.14 a.m. necessitating a total of 33 units, comprising 138 fire fighters and EMS personnel. Later on Tuesday morning, FDNY officials confirmed a total of 39 units responded, comprising 168 firefighters and EMS personnel.

 

An FDNY spokesperson said operations were still ongoing at the scene at 8.16 a.m.

Firefighters were seen welding through a metal shutter at one point to gain access to the CVS pharmacy, which once opened, could be seen filled with smoke. A voicemail message at the impacted CVS pharmacy advises customers that the pharmacy is closed and customers can find an alternative CVS pharmacy via the store locator. It further advises that if customers are experiencing a medical emergency, they should dial 911.

 

Other businesses along the strip which appeared to have been impacted include a family meat market business, Bainbridge Bakery, a Halal Curry & Kebab restaurant, a fish market, Shahjalal Grocery & Variety, which sells Bangladeshi, American, Indian & Pakistani food, and a Mexican grocery store.

Firefighters were also seen attacking the blaze from the rear of the building as residents, young and old, evacuated a long, residential building at 3150 Rochambeau Avenue, amid reports of smoke in their building.

 

Other residents, many wearing face masks, who lived on the opposite side of Bainbridge Avenue to where the fire was burning were seen on the street watching in shock and filming events, as pet dogs could be heard barking in panic, as smoke filled the air.

Choudhury Sfaqul said one of his friends, Mahmoud Guija, is the owner of the Halal restaurant. “My friend is ok,” he said. “He’s crying but he’s with his wife and his two daughters.”

 

We spoke to the manager of the affected meat market who said he didn’t live in the building, and appeared to be obviously stunned at the scene, seeing his business go up in flames.

“No, no, everybody’s out,” he said, when asked if any of his colleagues or employees had been affected. “The only place someone might be is the CVS. I know they work overnight there, so maybe someone might have been there. I don’t know,” he added.

 

The business manager continued,  “This is the second fire we’ve had on this block. The last one was at Halloween 2011, where all of those stores down there. This is like this. How many times the bakery?”

 

In fact, Norwood News reported on a bakery fire on Bainbridge on Halloween 2009 [not 2011], which also affected around 10 other businesses, as well as its aftermath, a legal battle which ensued, and the subsequent redevelopment of the affected site. Two months later, in December 2009, another commercial fire ripped through the same commercial strip, once again affecting a number of local businesses, including Foodtown.

 

As reported at the time by Norwood News, the 5-alarm blaze on East 204th Street gutted Foodtown, the only supermarket on the strip, and which had been renovated only six months prior to the fire, as well as the American Diner and a dental office. It took 168 firefighters to extinguish the blaze according to the FDNY. McKeon Funeral Home on Perry Avenue also suffered some water and smoke damage but was back up and running in a couple of days.

 

According to ABC7 NY, prosecutors later said 52-year-old Mohammed Abdul Quadir was arrested and charged with arson for his alleged involvement with the December 2009 fire. It was reported that Quadir allegedly hired 53-year-old Christopher Gooding to start the blaze, because the former had allegedly been in debt and had allegedly bought a half-million dollar insurance policy on the diner before the fire occurred.

 

It was reported that Gooding was also arrested. Norwood News has reached out to the Bronx District Attorney’s office for details of the final outcome of both legal cases and will update this story upon receipt of feedback. We also asked the FDNY for confirmation of the cause of both the October 2009 and December 2009 fires, and will update this story upon receipt of any feedback.

Meanwhile, when asked if he knew how the latest fire started, the meat market manager said, “No, somebody called me. I came right down.”

 

We later spoke to another family member of the meat market business, Salvatore Mirra, who also appeared visibly shocked at the scene. “Nobody was in there,” he said, when asked if anyone had been inside. “We don’t really know too much. I know that they said the bulk of the fire is in the back of the building but I don’t know really.”

A male resident of Rochambeau Avenue who was with the meat market manager had said earlier that he understood the fire had started in the back, close to Bainbridge eyewear store, and spread up the street.” The FDNY has not yet confirmed the fire’s origin but Bainbridge Optical does not appear to be one of the businesses affected.

 

The resident added, “They called me at about a quarter to three to say the building was on fire.” He said in the end it wasn’t actually his building but the businesses in front of his building. Asked who knocked on his door, he said, “neighbors.”

 

We later spoke to Rosa Nieves, a resident of Bainbridge Avenue, who had exited her home, located closer to Mosholu Parkway North, to see what was going on. “I was sleeping,” she said. “I hear all the ambulance and firemen, and I said, ‘Let me see what’s going on.’ So, I come to my window and I see all this but early, but I don’t hear anything else. I put the news and I don’t see nothing.”

She continued, “I’ve been concerned. I don’t know. I say, ‘Oh, no, let me go check.’ And you know Bainbridge is many times… they’ve been burned, the same area. The supermarket burned down, all that area. All the Dunkin’ Donuts, all the businesses burned out.” Asked if people were injured on that occasion, she said, “Not that I know of, just businesses.”

Another 18-year resident of Rochambeau Avenue was seen accompanying some small children outside her building. She said neighbors knocked on her door to alert her. “I just woke my parents up, my husband, and my children and I came out,” she said. All my neighbors are saying it’s like three times it’s happening in this area – the CVS Pharmacy, the restaurant…. 2011, yes, yes.”

 

Again, Norwood News reported at the time on a fire in the area on Halloween 2009, in which ten other local businesses were affected.

 

The resident said residents of the building didn’t have to evacuate. They just did so voluntarily.

Other residents of the Rochambeau Avenue building who we spoke to said they didn’t recall hearing a fire alarm go off, even though smoke was coming into their building. Asked if there were many elderly people in the building, one resident said, “Yeah, a lot,” and added that everyone was helping their neighbors evacuate.

District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, who represents Norwood, said of the blaze, “While winds are escalating the impact of the fire, I am thankful that there are currently no injuries at this time.” He added, “We will be monitoring the fire and my office stands by to assist those impacted by the fire.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to fire department officials. FDNY confirmed the fire was brought under control at 8.50 a.m. on Tuesday morning.