On FOX the stupid congressman or councilman or whatever he is said the fires began because people didn't evacuate. He backed off when questioned by reporter ... said maybe because homes were close together. Duh!
In better days ...
Posted on 10/30/2012 1:30:15 AM PDT by LibertyRocks
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Firefighters are battling a six-alarm fire in the Breezy Point section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. Officials say the fire was reported at about 11 p.m. Monday and involves about 50 houses situated in a flooded Zone A area. A fire department spokesman says nearly 200 firefighters are currently at the scene. He says two people have suffered minor injuries. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...
* The title should read, “50 homes destroyed...”.
The article doesn’t give much specific detail on this particular fire, but it has been going on all night now, and firefighters are having a lot of trouble with it. I will post another link here if I find something that has more information.
Here’s a direct link to the photo slideshow with pictures from the scene of the fire. Since this is in a flooded area they can’t get the trucks there, and they can’t get water there either. Lots of fires reported besides this large one. Apparently, several square blocks are on fire.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/gallery?section=news&id=8866073&photo=1
FDNY is doing a great job — they rescued many people via boats when the fire just began in the Breezy Point neighborhood. Prayers for all of them.
Sadly, fires often result during floods because water and electricity do not mix well.
Yep, the newscasters are reporting that downed power lines are the most likely cause (can’t imagine many other causes). When it started the winds were still over 50mph and there really was no way to stop it...
bookmark
Prayers for an old stomping ground.
This is my hometown . . .
Here’s a link to a video of the Breezy fire:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Breezy-Point-Rockaway-Beach-Fire-Hurricane-Sandy-176370491.html
And here’s a link to another fire further east on the beach near 116th
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=8865832#.UI9Z8qve0dm.facebook
In between these two fires is another at approximately 130th ... about 8 houses, restaurant and maybe the church.
The boardwalk is ripped apart ... parts of it are blocking entrance to my brother’s house.
They lost electric power at 7:15 last night. The Breezy fire didn’t begin until 11pm. I don’t think it’s electricial. I’ve been listening to the FDNY scanner all night. They were trying to get someone from the power company to turn off gas to the area.
The only good thing about this fire is that it is moving north and west. Once it reaches the bay, it’ll have nowhere to go.
Fire scanner is reporting odors of gas ... nursing home on 119th being evacuated as a result ... 200 block of 116th has odor too.
I am so sorry to hear that... It must be difficult to watch. I can’t imagine it.
Thank you for the links, I am sure others will want to see this coverage when everyone starts waking up. I imagine all of the news that will be coming out today is going to be worse than some expected, and definitely hard to see for so many...
Prayers are being said for your brother and all that may still be in harm’s way in the aftermath - and for all of those faced with the task of rebuilding afterwards.
I heard reports of gas odors in Brooklyn about an hour ago when I was listening to one of the scanners my friend had linked to. Interesting that the power was already out when it started. I wonder what set it off as I would think a gas leak would cause explosions, wouldn’t it? (Maybe not if the origin of the leak is under water though... I’m definitely not anywhere near an expert on these things - just hypothesizing!)
Right now I’m hearing reports from the scanner about primary electric wires down ...
What a mess!
On FOX the stupid congressman or councilman or whatever he is said the fires began because people didn't evacuate. He backed off when questioned by reporter ... said maybe because homes were close together. Duh!
In better days ...
Nobody should be in Breezy now. It is a great place, a barrier beach locked community co-op with bungalows and a few sand streets between Manhattan and Long Island and the Atlantic - the “point” with riptides and great views to match. The cars are all kept in Parking lots farther in. There are no real big buildings, no real streets - you have to leave to go to high school, etc - It’s quite special.
I have a friend who lived there and visiting was really fun. Roll out of bed and go swimming in the ocean. At night, go out on the boardwalk and look at Coney Island, right there.
Breezy isn’t that big and a fire of 50 homes is devastating. They had a twister last year and that was quite strange. It’s expensive to get a place but you can’t just buy there - you have to be recommended by community folks.
Or people using candles and/or kerosene lanterns in the dark...its how most of the big accidental fires in history have started.
Homes may not be covered by flooding due to natural disasters, but they are covered by insurance from a fire.
Unfortunately, when the fire started they reported that the FDNY had to rescue at least 30 people, if not more who were in the path of the fire. Like so many on threads here at FR yesterday there are, unfortunately, too many who did not take the warnings seriously.
I’m going through video on the link that Beach Babe put up a little bit ago... It looks devastating in so many areas. And that’s before dawn.
What if the flood caused the fire?
Looking back at some of the raw video feed from the NBC site you linked it does look like a gas line fire - at least at the very beginning of the footage before it really started spreading. Like a lighter with the flame on high down near the base of a building.
Saw some remarkable footage of the 14th St. Substation explosion that plunged Manhattan into darkness.
This is only going to get worse as day breaks and reports start coming in more rapidly. So sad...
The other fact is there is no insurance for flooding but full restitution for a fire. The best way to survive a flood is burn your house
The lesson was learned in north Dakota where a house surrounded by the flooding river caught fire and burned
119th would be a whole new area of destruction from Breezy Point. I spent four full summers at the “Sullivan House” on 115th street.
Continued prayers.
Looks like it was a beautiful place... I pray everyone was rescued and that the community can rebuild quickly.
Yep. I expect there will be a lot of fires in the coming days.
Houses on Ocean, Fulton, and Gotham Walk are compleatly burnt down ...
Units leaving the scene since the tide is coming in ... the Fire is NOT out!
Many gas leaks but utility company cannot respond....
FDNY forced entry into PS 114 (Beach 134-135) to house civilians removed from their dwellings. Wants evacuation by National Guard.
Arson 101 in effect, just a scam to get insurance money.
Arson 101 in effect, just a scam to get insurance money.
I agree with you, the New yorkers are showing their true colors and will vote for soetoro regardless. New york is a soetoro welfare gimme state.
Ummm... NO. Go watch the footage if you have doubts.
119th nursing home is a gas leak ... fire(s) on 116th ... some other fires are rekindling ... 7-storey bldg on boardwalk at 123 st has odor of gas ... I have friends in that bldg! ... my brother is in next bldg!!!
Sullivan House ... was that right behind the Park Inn?
FDNY scanner: http://nycfire.net/qn
Knock it off... spew your hatred on a different thread. We’re trying to keep track of what’s going on AT THIS MOMENT and people’s lives are still in danger - and this is personally affecting some of your fellow FReepers who I assure you are NOT voting for Obama. So, just STOP IT...
Actually, this is one area of NYC that votes Republician.
Oh no! Extra prayers going up now...
Sullivan House on 115th street was right behind the Sullivan Bar on 116th street. Very sorry to hear all this. Thoughts and prayers for your family and friends.
Broken gas lines because of houses shifting in the flood waters, igniting by a spark from the downed power lines, is probably the cause........
How many fires are caused by water? Not many that I can think of. Broken gas lines may be a culprit, but there are not many sparks when all the power is off and everything is under water.
Definitely a possibility. Like I mentioned in a later post, I re-watched some of the raw feed from early on in this particular fire, and it looked like someone had a giant bic lighter on high, resting against the bottom of a building with a flame shooting up on top of the water line. Then with the 50mph+ winds it just spread like crazy. Heard later this morning that the positioning of the island/point makes it a particularly dangerous situation as the winds whip around it.
I was just curious how an insurance company would see that if the gas line breaks, and downed power lines that sparked the fire were the result of a major flood - as is apparently the case in this particular fire.
I don’t think that acts of God will be covered. Most likely they will be paid by Uncle Sugar with disaster relief. It is going to take a long time for all these folks to recover from the loss. Prayers up for the victims.
former boardwalk
That is horrible.
Doesn’t the city have pumper trucks? Couldn’t they pump all the flood water onto the fires?
Go back to DU where you belong with that mentality.
Unfortunately, it’s even worse.....FOX Radio News at 11 AM Eastern time reported more than 80 homes destroyed.
I agree with you, the New yorkers are showing their true colors and will vote for soetoro regardless. New york is a soetoro welfare gimme state.
People who can afford a second house in this area are NOT Barry supporters. Don't spew bs when you don't know what you're talking about.
We had a huge fire in our area with no weather involvement at all -- the earth around a new house settled and one day just ruptured the gas line underground. During this kind of a storm, with water coursing at great force, this could have happened there, too. Please don't be so fast to condemn these people, many of whom are the "upper working class" who live for their house at the shore and summers with the family. Many laboring families have handed down beachfront lots outside of NYC and in NJ in families for generations since the first immigrant managed to get a lot for $1000 in 1925 or so. Breezy Point isn't the Hamptons.
When it started a FD truck, police officer, and a journalist were actually got stranded on a small area of ground at high tide during the storm surge. They had a special crew in boats rescuing those who hadn’t evacuated, but there really was no way to stop the flames - especially since the winds were still 50+ miles/hour and on that point of the island they whip around like crazy on a normal day - or so they reported. The FD had to evacuate again at high tide this morning and spots were still popping back up. They couldn’t turn off the gas, according to some reports I heard.
There were also other fires popping up around the same time in other areas of that neighborhood - at one point the reported pointed to four different fires around where they were, and more red glowing areas in the distance. The video feed is like a scene out of a horror movie when it was at its worst last night. Basically all they could do was contain it given how fast it was moving.
Sorry if the above is jumbled - trying to remember details to the best of my ability. It’s like “late night” to me right now as my schedule is screwed up, and I’ll be retiring for some rest in a bit. :)
Wondering if you’ve heard any news. Thinking of you, and hoping your brother and friends are alright physically, even though I’m sure this is a hard time regardless.
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