What started a massive salvage yard fire in the Bronx remains unknown, but fire investigators consider its cause suspicious.
The blaze and smoke seen for miles prompted a 5-alarm response from the FDNY on Monday afternoon. The heat was so intense that vehicles parked on nearby streets were burned, a fire chief said. In the heart of the fire, car parts and wooden pallets burned.
Nearly 200 members of the city's fire department responded to the fire on Drake Street in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. One firefighter did suffer a minor injury, according to the fire chief.
Investigators say they don't believe anyone was inside the salvage yard at the time and the fact that the flames sparked in the middle of a holiday made the fire suspicious.
Jasmine Ramos says she saw a video of the fire and recognized her parents' auto repair shop that sits next door to the junkyard.
"It's truly heartbreaking to see the damage that was caused," Ramos said. Adding the possibility that someone could have caused the fire on purpose pours salt on the wound. "It's upsetting, again heartbreaking. I hope that the firemen can get to the bottom of it and find out what caused it."
Nearby residents were encouraged by the city's emergency management to close windows and avoid smoke inhalation if possible.
