COURIER L 12 IFE, JULY 30-AUG. 5, 2021
Fire rips through
Coney Island
storefront
Firefi ghters work to move hose lines into position while operating
on a four-alarm fi re at Bargain Land in Coney Island.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
BY LLOYD MITCHELL
A roaring fi re inside
a Mermaid Avenue
business sent a plume of
smoke across Coney Island
on Monday morning,
July 26.
A four-alarm blaze
broke out above Bargain
Land at 2811 Mermaid
Ave. just before
6 am. First responders
had trouble locating the
source, but found heavy
smoke pouring out of
the rear of the two-story,
brick commercial building
that offi cials said
also houses an afterschool
program.
Heavy clutter in the
store made it diffi cult
to reach the fi re, fi re offi
cials on the scene said,
and while smoke eaters
breached a wall to gain
access to the blaze, units
worked several hoses on
the fi rst fl oor, roof and
setback area to tame the
fl ames.
It took more than 150
fi refi ghters three hours to
bring the inferno under
control, while also battling
temperatures in the
high 80s. At least four fi refi
ghters suffered injuries
as a result of the blaze.
In a statement on
social media, area Assemblymember
Mathylde
Frontus said the
fi re broke out inside the
newly leased offi ce space
for the Jewish Community
Council of Greater
Coney Island’s cure violence
program Operation
H.O.O.D. (Helping Our
Own Develop). The space
was previously used by
South Brooklyn Youth
Consortium and Graffi ti
Ministries, Frontus said.
“Really horrible news
on Coney Island this
morning,” the pol wrote
in a post. “The brand
new offi ce space for Operation
HOOD of JCCGCI
sustained a major
fi re. Thankfully nobody
was inside at the time
although some fi remen
sustained minor injuries
battling the blaze.”
“I have asked Rabbi
Weiner to keep my offi ce
updated as the investigation
gets underway,”
Frontus added.
The cause of the fi re
remains under investigation
by the FDNY Fire
Marshal’s Offi ce.
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