Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Brooklyn Blaze

The cause of the fire, at Marley Building Supply in Greenpoint, is under investigation

Nearly 200 firefighters worked to put out a blaze at an industrial building in Brooklyn overnight Friday into Saturday morning, a job made more challenging by the bitter cold.

The cause of the fire, at Marley Building Supply in Greenpoint, is under investigation, but FDNY officials said they faced numerous obstacles to putting it out.

"We were also battling the cold," said FDNY Chief James Esposito. "It presented quite a number of challenges, water supply issues and safety issues. We had ice all over the place."    

By late morning, crews were still dousing hot spots. Even though no one got hurt, the Red Cross was on the scene overnight and into the morning.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
"We served over 150 cups of hot coffee and chocolate combined, so it's pretty good," said David Pierre of the American Red Cross. "Just coming here if they need a break for a second."

The owners of the building supply firm declined to speak to News 4 New York.

Esposito said there were a lot of flammable materials in the store, but the fire is still being investigated. 

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