Crews battle raging fire at Bronx supermarket
NEW YORK -- Firefighters battled a raging blaze at a Bronx supermarket Thursday.
It started around 5:30 p.m. at a CTown location on University Avenue and Macombs Road in the Morris Heights section.
Officials say the store had just closed when the owner noticed it was on fire.
"We quickly put tower ladders into operation and had hand lines in all of the exposed buildings and we prevented that from happening," FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said.
Hodgens says firefighters had to continue working from outside. The blaze spread so quickly, families from nearby buildings had to evacuate.
"The floor was literally hot, and we couldn't breathe in our bedrooms. Eventually, the firefighters came and knocked on our door, telling us, 'It's no longer safe, you have to come out,' and they were already on the roof," one neighbor said.
Watch: FDNY provides update on Bronx supermarket fire
Two hundred fire and EMS workers worked to stop the flames from spreading to the neighboring gas station and tire shop.
Still, the supermarket is a total loss.
"The supermarket has a large stock of many different types of combustibles, potential flammables," Hodgens said.
What's left is a pile of rubble within the walls. Neighbors say they will now have to travel for another supermarket as big as that one.
"A lot of seniors live in the building. How they gonna get down there? How we gonna get there?" one neighbor said.
Three firefighters and one civilian suffered minor injuries.
Families have been allowed back into their homes.
We're told firefighters will continue to monitor hot spots throughout the night.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.