What to Know
- A warehouse fire near LIRR tracks in Mineola led to service suspensions along several branches early Friday morning
- Service was restored to the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches shortly before the morning rush
- Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze, which caused a warehouse to collapse
Service was restored to several Long Island Rail Road branches after hundreds of firefighters battled a warehouse fire that sent debris onto train tracks and threatened the morning rush for thousands of commuters.
Smoke and a fiery glow could be seen above the large warehouse in Mineola as firefighters pummeled the inferno with water early Friday morning.
No one was injured in the fire, officials said, but service was suspended in both directions on the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches for hours. The MTA said service had been restored to all three branches by 4:30 a.m.
The Mineola station is a major hub for the LIRR and the three branches that were affected run through the station.
Service in the City Terminal Zone, which includes major New York City hubs like Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal, was also affected as trains clogged up on the LIRR Main Line.
The blaze started at 11:30 p.m. at K's Auto Repair on Willis Avenue, police said. Six fire departments, including 200 firefighters, responded.
The flames grew so intense that the warehouse collapsed and at least one box truck was left charred after being consumed by flames. Though no people were hurt, there were reports that a guard dog may have been killed or gotten loose.
Local
Crews were able to bring the fire under control shortly after 4 a.m., roughly five hours after it started.
Police said an investigation into what caused the blaze is ongoing.
