A huge fire tore through a bike store in Sunnyside Thursday (Photos: Citizen)
Oct. 21, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
A huge fire tore through a bike store in Sunnyside Thursday evening.
The blaze broke out at The Fly Wing Bike Shop, located at 39-31 47 Ave., just after 6:30 p.m., according to the FDNY.
The fire started on the ground floor — where the store is situated — and quickly spread to the second floor of the three-story building, fire officials said.
Video footage posted online shows flames gushing out the front of the storefront and smoking billowing high up into the night sky.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries and no civilians were hurt, FDNY officials said. It is unclear how many people were inside the building when the fire started. The second and third floors contain apartment units.
Firefighters battled the blaze for about 2 hours and got the inferno under control just before 8:30 p.m.
The fire destroyed nearly 60 bikes – many of which were electrical or gasoline-powered — and FDNY investigators say the bikes may have played a role in sparking the fire, although the investigation is still ongoing.
Fire Inside Electrical Bike Store @CitizenApp
39-29 47th Ave Yesterday 6:48:14 PM EDT
The bike shop was closed at the time the blaze broke out with many of the bikes packed inside the premises, FDNY Battalion Chief Justin Zorbo told ABC7 News.
The heavy presence of the motorized bikes made it challenging for firefighters to tackle the blaze, Zorbo said.
“They are difficult to extinguish and require numerous hazmat resources,” Zorbo said.
“We used [an] all hands-on assignment on arrival with an additional engine and additional truck.”
The FDNY released a video on its social media platforms Friday morning warning of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries which are used to power e-bikes.
The department said the batteries can overheat and cause fires.
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