Twelve FDNY Firefighters Injured in Rare Eight-Alarm Blaze

Twelve firefighters suffered injuries fighting a fire last night in an ironworks in Queens, NY where hazardous materials were present.

The fire broke out at JSJ Iron Works located at 9520 150th Street in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, the fire department getting the first call just after 6:00pm Monday night, reports NY1.com.

Fire Department of New York (FDNY) firefighters initially battled the blaze inside the building, but had to pull out due to structural concerns. Seven of the firefighters suffered injuries from the roof collapsing.

It was unclear what materials were stored inside the 60’ x 100’ warehouse, but Firefightingnews.com reported that units on the scene requested a hazardous materials response.

In the end, eight alarms had been rang for the fire, calling in about 60 firefighters per alarm for a total of almost 500 firefighters on the scene throughout the night until the fire was brought under control at nearly 5:00am, said an article by the New York Daily News. A bystander told the news source that flames shot 60 feet in the air and there were numerous explosions. Three firefighters suffered burns, one suffering burns to his head and face. Twelve firefighters required medical treatment at the hospital.

Firefighters worked in extreme conditions as a winter storm complicated firefighting efforts with rain, hail and snow.