A 3-alarm fire tore through two commercial buildings in Middle Village Wednesday morning (Photos: FDNY (L) and Citizen (R))
Nov. 30 , 2022 By Michael Dorgan
A 3-alarm fire tore through two commercial buildings in Middle Village Wednesday morning.
Firefighters responded to a blaze that broke out at around 7:30 a.m. at Metro Deli, located at 67-30 Metropolitan Ave. The one-story building is situated next to the Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue subway station, near the corner of 65th Lane.
Flames could be seen rising up through the rear of the deli which appeared to be open at the time of the fire, video footage posted online shows.
The fire spread into an adjacent bar that previously housed the now-shuttered Juniper Tavern Bar, located at 67-32 Metropolitan Ave.
Video also shows heavy smoke billowing onto Metropolitan Ave. which was busy with pedestrians and rush-hour vehicular traffic.
Fire officials said the blaze was significant in size when they arrived at the scene and they were able to contain it to the deli and the bar. Several firefighters climbed onto the roof of the buildings to extinguish the flames.
The FDNY said it got the fire under control at around 9 a.m.
Firefighters tackling the blaze this morning (Photos: Citizen)
There were no reported injuries. It is unclear how many people were inside the deli when the fire broke out.
The Fire Marshal will ultimately determine the cause of the fire and an investigation is ongoing, the FDNY said.
M train service between the Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Avenue stations was suspended while the FDNY tackled the blaze. Service resumed at around 10 a.m., the MTA said.
Councilmember Holden tweeted that he was aware of the incident and was keeping residents updated on the situation via his social media accounts.
Firefighters at the scene (Photo: FDNY)
Suspicious Three-Alarm Fire Engulfed Metro Deli, Juniper Tavern @CitizenApp
67-32 Metropolitan Ave 7:35:23 AM EST
