A stubborn fire in a commercial building in Queens led to a five-alarm response by the Fire Department Monday, and took firefighters more than five hours to extinguish.
The blaze started on the third floor of a four-story building on 37th Ave. at the corner of 75th St. in Jackson Heights and was reported about 6:11 p.m., FDNY officials said. It was not put out until about 11:40 p.m., according to FDNY officials.
A firefighter was treated at the scene for minor injuries, and a second person, described as authorities to be a minor, was taken to an area hospital in an unknown condition.
The entire second floor of the building at 74-09 37th Ave., which houses Armondo’s Italian Restaurant, as well as health care offices — was charred by flames.
A crowd of some 150 spectators formed to watch firefighters work to bring the flames under control. As many as 168 firefighters were sent to the scene.
“I heard a loud explosion, like a bomb going off. Glass shattered, it was all over the sidewalk,” said Iris Acosta, 71, who was walking by the building at the time.
“I already felt the heat of the flames. My first thought was to get out of the way.”
Firefighters have prevented the flames from spreading to neighboring buildings, FDNY officials said. Utility workers shut off the gas supply to the building.
No one has been injured in the fire, officials said.
Some people gathered inside Ricky’s Cafe, which is directly across from the building, to escape the smoke.
Edward Reichel, 37, a waiter at Ricky’s, said he saw the fire through the building’s windows and could not believe how quickly it spread
“It was just a little flame on the second floor, maybe three feet high,” he said. “In 15 minutes the whole floor started to burn.”