A massive fire broke out at what appeared to be a mall with more than 50 shopping kiosks in Queens' Flushing neighborhood early Thursday, igniting a swarming emergency response as the city warned people who live nearby to close their windows to avoid the billowing black smoke.
The single-story structure fire erupted on Main Street around 6:30 a.m. and escalated rapidly. It intensified to a five-alarm blaze, drawing even more fire units -- 35 companies and 200 firefighters -- to the scene, and was burning at ground level for five hours.
"There's a lot of interior damage, the ceiling and roof have collapsed," said Acting FDNY Chief of Operations Richard Blatus. "Partially because of the fireload, partially because the ceiling and roof have collapsed, so the fire is underneath, so we have to let it burn."
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No one was inside the building when the fire broke out. No injuries were immediately reported, nor was anyone reported missing -- but firefighters said they expected to at the scene all day and possibly into Thursday night.
All day, fire crews doused the building with water as the smoke continued to billow, with some smoke entering a nearby subway station. Businesses in the area were expected to have to remain closed at least through Thursday.
As of Thursday evening, firefighters had yet to go inside the building to determine how the flames may have started. The investigation is ongoing.
