Firefighters Battle 4-Alarm Fire In Yonkers
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork/AP) --Firefighters battled a four-alarm fire at a dollar store in Yonkers on Thursday evening.
The blaze broke out in the Dollar K discount store located at 371 South Broadway. When crew began to fight the blaze there was concern that it could spread to other stores, 1010 WINS reported.
Yonkers Fire Department dispatcher Eugene Marron said firefighters responded to reports of heavy smoke at the location just before 4 p.m. He said the fire quickly escalated.
Firefighters Battle 4-Alarm Fire In Yonkers
Eighteen fire companies and 63 firefighters were working to put out the blaze, Marron said.
Fire crews evacuated at least two nearby buildings as a precaution, CBS 2 reported.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano told 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten the fire was contained to just the building that houses the dollar store.
The fire was brought under control shortly before 11 p.m., 1010 WINS reported.
Spano applauded the hard work by firefighters.
"It's a pretty nasty fire, it's pretty intense. There are residential buildings both to the south and to the rear of this building, there are restaurants on the north of it, but the fire department as usual is doing a fantastic job," Spano said.
Witnesses described a frantic scene as they feared that the fire could spread into their homes.
"I just ran out like this," Sarah Rodriguez said, "My husband took one side of the building I took the other side and I screamed like crazy 'fire get out, get out, get out.'"
A few firefighters suffered minor injuries, Baumgarten reported.
All of the residents made it out unhurt, CBS 2's Dave Carlin reported but 250 people were displaced by the blaze. Some of those people will spend the night in an American Red Cross shelter at a nearby school.
"I know it's going to be a disaster because they tell me it's full of water and everything," Rodriguez said.
There was no word on when displaced residents would be able to return home.
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