FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 20, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
Screenshots via YouTube
Sunnyside raises more than $120,000 for blaze victims
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
adomenech@qns.com
@AODNewz
The neighborhood of Sunnyside
proved its resiliency at Monday night’s
fundraiser for Th e Sunnyside Fire Relief
Fund, which will assist those aff ected by
last week’s fi ve-alarm inferno on Queens
Boulevard.
Th e fi rst of four fundraisers raised
$36,000 for the victims of last week’s
fi ve-alarm fi re that gutted a row of stores
on Queens Boulevard between 45th
and 46th Street. Th e fi re left 12 people
injured—7 fi reman and fi ve civilians—
and completely destroyed six businesses.
“It’s beautiful, the community stuck
together,” said Larry Stroumbos,
co-owner of New York Style Eats, one
of the businesses that the fi re consumed.
According to President of Sunnyside
Chamber of Commerce Melissa Orlando,
$125,113.75 has been raised in total for
the relief fund. Th is includes proceeds
from ticket sales to last night’s fundraiser,
donations made via a GoFundMe
campaign, vendor donations and the
result of collections at Sunnyside businesses.
But the community’s compassion cannot
just be measured by dollars. Groups
of friends and family came in droves to
wait for a chance to get into Sunnyside
Community Services where the fundraiser
was held. Tickets sold out before the
doors even opened at 6 p.m.
Vendors participating in the fundraiser’s
pop-up market — 16 in all — donated
at least 10 percent of their proceeds to
the relief fund. Free food and drink was
provided by 28 local vendors to feed the
more than 750 fundraiser attendees.
Everyone in attendance was in good
cheer, including those who had lost
almost everything to the fi re.
“It’s been a hard two weeks before
Christmas,” said Susan Parker, a employee
of New York Style Eats, who was
touched by the turnout. “It’s impressive.”
Parker took part in a career event
held earlier on Monday at the Sunnyside
Community Services which helped her
quickly land an interview at LaGuardia
Airport.
Dioby Garcia (right), an employee at
New York Style Eats, speaks with his boss
Larry Stroumbos at the fundraiser. New
York Style Eats was one of the six businesses
destroyed by last week’s fi re.
Attendees repeatedly said that the holiday
season had nothing to do with the
turnout, community members are just
naturally supportive of one another be
a fi re or a surprising presidential campaign.
According to Sunnyside resident,
Kendall Jacquest, what doesn’t kill
Sunnyside only makes it stronger. A
prime example of this was how left -leaning
residents leaned on each for support
aft er Trump’s 2016 presidential win.
“Aft er Trump’s inauguration, we took
a hit and then people came out and we
gained something,” said Jacques. “I’ve
met some amazing people in really diffi
cult times.”
Photo: Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech/THE COURIER
Performers at the Sunnyside fi re victims fundraiser on Dec. 17.
structures on 46th Street, DeVita said
during a press conference at the scene.
Th e situation took a more frightening
turn when a number of fi refi ghters got
caught in a violent backdraft — a blast
of fl ames and heavy smoke that erupted
from the buildings onto the street. An
eyewitness fi lming the fi re from the nearby
46th Street 7 train station caught the
horrifi c blast on camera.
DeVita said that the backdraft is
believed to have triggered a partial collapse
within 45-02 Queens Blvd., allowing
the fl ames to spread further through the
adjoining businesses.
Th e FDNY reported that seven fi refi ghters
and fi ve civilians were hospitalized for
injuries sustained in the blaze, according
to WABC-TV. One of the civilians was
reported to be in serious condition.
Firefi ghters worked for nearly six hours
to fi nally bring the blaze under control,
at about 7:57 a.m. Th e cause of the fi re is
under investigation.
Along with New York Style Eats, the
damaged businesses include Sidetracks
Restaurant, one of the neighborhood’s
most popular eateries, Zen Yai Noodles
& Coff ee, Th e Romantic Depot and Th e
UPS Store.
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted about the
fi re on Dec. 13 and expressed relief that
the fi refi ghters caught in the backdraft
weren’t seriously injured.
“Th e fi re is out but several local businesses
were badly damaged. Please use
caution if you need to be in the area,” de
Blasio wrote.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who
represents the area, tweeted out an image
of the charred buildings and expressed
heartbreak over the incident.
“I’m on site of this devastating fi re on
Queens Boulevard in #Sunnyside,” Van
Bramer said. “So many great businesses
destroyed. Grateful that there was no loss
of life. Th e @FDNY are amazing. Th eir
bravery unparalleled. We will help all to
rebuild.”
State Senator Michael Gianaris said he
had reached out to a number of local
agencies and off ered his assistance in the
recovery and rebuilding eff orts.
“A number of fi refi ghters and residents
were injured during the incident. My
thoughts are with them and their families
in hopes of a speedy recovery. I thank
them and the more than 200 FDNY members
who responded for their bravery,”
Gianaris said in a statement.
Th ree of the aff ected businesses —
Sidetracks, New York Style Eats and Th e
UPS Store — are members of the Queens
Chamber of Commerce. Th omas Grech,
president and CEO of the chamber, said
the business organization “stands ready to
jump in and assist all aff ected businesses,”
including off ering relocation assistance.
“Th e thoughts of everyone at the
Queens Chamber are with the fi refi ghters
and civilians injured in the fi re that devastated
several businesses in the Sunnyside
neighborhood. We wish them all a speedy
recovery,” Grech said. “We have been in
communication with the New York City
Department of Small Business Services
(SBS) and United States Small Business
Administration (SBA) to connect impacted
businesses to the support they will
need to recover.”
The Sunnyside Shines Business
Improvement District also expressed its
sympathies to business owners and gratitude
to the fi refi ghters who fought the
inferno.
“No words for our sadness this morning
at the loss of these businesses,” the BID
wrote in a Dec. 13 Facebook post. “Th ank
you to the many, many people who have
reached out to off er help and check in on
our business owners and employees. We
are in the process of organizing a community
response to help the aff ected employees
and will post information soon. #sunnyside
#welovefi rstresponders #sunnysidestrong.”
Flames and smoke from the backdraft envelop cars, fi retrucks and fi refi ghters.
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