Jul 24, 2009 5:09 pm US/Eastern
Douglaston Shaken In Wake Of Con Ed Fire
Businesses Suffer As 700 Lose Power; Nearby Resident: 'Flames Looked Like Mushrooms'
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Chopper 2 HD was live over the scene of a third alarm fire at a Con Edison substation in Queens on Friday, July 24, 2009.
CBS
Fierce flames ripped through a Con Edison Power Plant Substation in Queens Friday Morning, knocking out the power in hundreds of surrounding buildings and threatening the safety of an entire neighborhood.
The three-alarm fire broke out near the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 244th Street in Douglaston. It destroyed one of the two Con Ed transformers used to power thousands of homes, and filled the neighborhood's air with toxic smoke.
Elizabeth Holtkamp witnessed the incident from the nearby Zion Episcopal Church.
"I saw flames," Holtkamp said. "Mushroom flames, and not mushroom smoke. The flames looked like mushrooms. It was very scary.
Local Johanna Wray claimed the flames soon led to a dramatic blast.
"At one point, something exploded," Wray said. "I don't know what it was, but I got ready to run."
The fire's flames topped 20 feet, and were fueled by the 36 hundred gallons of oil that normally cool the transformer.
New York Fire Department Assistant Chief, James Esposito, said toxic fumes and the high-voltage power from the substation added to the danger of fighting the blaze.
Firefighters simply let the transformer burn itself out while trying to keep the flames away from nearby houses and businesses.
"My major concern was the three-story building on Northern Boulevard that was about 20 feet away from the transformer," Esposito said.
Esposito and the rest of the FDNY fighters saved the building, as well as many nearby homes. Approximately 12 families were evacuated from the area, but no one was hurt in the incident.
Businesses suffered, however, with 700 of them claiming to have been without power at one point. George Kiladitis, who runs the Giardino restaurant, believes the fire will have devastating effects on his business.
"We count on Friday and Saturday," Kiladitis said. "I have no power. I have no staff. It's going to be a tremendous hit – a big hit for us. I mean, no money coming in on a Friday – that could kill my whole week."
Rocco Conforti, an employee at a nearby dry cleaner, said the loss of power prevented him from working.
"No power, so as you see, we do nothing," Conforti said. "We just enjoy the day."
Con Ed claimed that power to all but one home had been restored by Friday evening.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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