Illegal fireworks suspected to have sparked a giant fire in NYC last week

9 people were injured, 2 houses destroyed and 4 damaged in the massive fire that erupted in the Bronx, NYC, last Thursday. FDNY investigators suspect that 3 men using illegal fireworks sparked the fire. The 3 young men told the police they bought the fireworks in Westchester. Sale and use of fireworks is illegal in the city. The 3 men who are all in their 20ies are facing charges for reckless endangerment of Bronx residents and 200 firefighters, fourth-degree arson criminal mischief and illegal possession of fireworks. The mother of one of the men denied that her son was responsible for the fire. She said her son had been playing with fireworks in the street before the fire but he had gone to work when the blaze erupted. She doesn’t believe the fireworks are at the origin of the blaze. (Read more in the NY Daily News)

Another fire erupted last night at the Glendale farmers market in Queens. 200 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze that engulfed 3 stores and two apartments. 11 firefighters were injured in the NYC blaze as well as one civilian. A lot of smoke came out of the fire and lingered in the street. The smoke was so thick that it was impossible to see across the street. People with asthma and other respiratory weaknesses started to panic. The buildings belonged to a mosque next door. The owners were inside celebrating the last night of Ramadan. They stopped the celebration and instead offered shelter in the mosque to those in need. See video below

A little earlier on Sunday afternoon, 8 firefighters were injured while battling a fire at a West Village Building located on Hudson street. The fire started between the first and the second floor and it took the firefighters 3 hours to get the flames under control. A restaurant located at the ground floor was completely destroyed in the fire. Apartments above sustained serious damage. See video below