Greenpoint warehouse blaze injures 5 firefighters

August 1, 2019 Jeffery Harrell

Photo via FDNY

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At least five firefighters were injured fighting a warehouse fire early Thursday morning in Greenpoint.

Reports of the four-alarm fire came in just after midnight on Thursday morning, said Chief of Fire Operations Thomas Richardson at a press conference. The first fire units were at the scene within four minutes.

Richardson said about 200 firefighters and Emergency Medical Services personnel ultimately responded to the emergency.

According to Richardson, the fire was difficult to fight from inside the warehouse because of its size and shelving units blocking their path.

#FDNY members are operating on scene of 3-alarm fire, 259 Monitor St. in #Brooklyn. There are currently no injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/Qp029t6KEN

— FDNY (@FDNY) August 1, 2019

Firefighters moved outside after about an hour of attempting to contain the blaze from inside the warehouse, he said.

It is unclear what caused the fire, although officials say it began on the first floor of the restaurant supply warehouse. FDNY reported that nothing about the fire appears suspicious.

FDNY reports that the injuries were minor, although EMS Chief Lillian Bonsignore noted at a press conference that they were lucky, considering the size of the blaze.

The injured first responders were transported to area hospitals.

No one was inside the warehouse when the fire broke out.

Although officials reported that the most visible flames had been extinguished, the fire was still not under control as of around 10:40 AM on Thursday morning. At least 175 firefighters were still battling the blaze at that time.