Three-Alarm Fire Engulfs Harlem Kids’ Departmental Store

A massive three-alarm fire tore through a kids’ departmental store in Harlem, New York, Sunday night.

Firefighters worked to douse the fire that originated in a furniture store across the street from the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building in Harlem, New York Times reported, citing a spokesperson from the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).

The fire raged for straight three hours after breaking out at around 7:30 p.m. in a two-story building on West 125th Street near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Lazarus, one of the oldest children’s clothing stores in the area was completely under the influence of the flames that broke out at the storefront and through the roof.

Social media users were in a state of shock to see thick, black smoke billowing from the blaze. “This fire in Harlem is crazy I can see it from 40 blocks away,” a Twitter user wrote.

The fire was contained by 10:30 p.m. and no injuries were reported.

“The big plume of smoke is how I found out,” witness Jeffrey Meregildo, 30, told New York Times. “I’m pretty sure people that are a block away can smell the fire.”

Earlier that day, a fire was reported in East Elmhurst. The fire, which broke out at around 1:10 p.m. on the second floor of a house 96th Street near 24th Avenue, the FDNY told New York Post. First responders found a 57-year-old victim in the second floor and rushed him to the hospital, where he was declared dead. His 81-year-old mother had also reportedly suffered minor injuries due to the fire.

The exact cause of either fire wasn’t immediately known.

A fire that erupted in March in an underground New York City subway in Harlem claimed one life and injured at least 16 people. The fire originated from a train car halted at the 110th Street Central Park North station in Manhattan, prompting at least 100 firefighters to respond to it. The dead person was only identified as a 36-year-old MTA worker. The source of the fire hadn’t been identified by the FDNY.