18 COURIER LIFE, MAY 7-13, 2021
First responders battle an all-hands-on-deck blaze at Met-
Food in Bay Ridge. Photo by Jessica Parks
Firefi ghters battle
blaze at Bay Ridge biz,
Brownsville fi re leaves
residents homeless
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK & LLOYD MITCHELL
A popular Bay Ridge supermarket drew crowds the
afternoon of April 30 as dozens of fi refi ghters worked
to battle an all-hands-on deck blaze on the roof.
Smoke-eaters arrived to battle the blaze at the
Bay Ridge MetFood near 96th Street and Third Avenue
at around 2 pm, and the inferno was deemed
under control shortly after despite heavy winds that
made the task more diffi cult.
No injuries were reported, and the fi re remains
under investigation by fi re offi cials.
The morning before, an even heavier blaze tore
through a Brownsville home, leaving one a man injured
and several more people temporarily homeless,
according to the FDNY.
Over 100 fi refi ghters rushed to the scene of the
fi re at 325 Crescent St. at around 5:30 am, where the
inferno — exacerbated by the the structure’s wood
frames — send black plumes of smoke wafting into
the day’s fi rst light as it tore through the building.
A family was evacuated from the premises, while
one man was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical
Center after suffering smoke inhalation. Residents
could do nothing but watch as their home smoldered.
“My family is sitting on the sidewalk right now,
they are upset since we were supposed to fl y back
to Mexico this morning,” one resident told amNew-
York Metro, adding: “We lost all our documents to
travel.”
Firefi ghters battled the dawn inferno for well
over an hour, ripping pieces of the structure away
to create ventilation. The fi re was placed under control
by 6:45 am. Over a dozen individuals have been
displaced and are working with the Red Cross for
aid. The cause of the fi re is under investigation by
the FDNY’s Fire Marshal’s offi ce.
The scene of the fi re in Brownsville. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
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