Neighborhood institution burned in overnight fire above busy Brooklyn subway stop
Jan 26, 2025
A vicious late-night fire devastated a trio of Brooklyn buildings, forcing the displacement of nearly a dozen families and dealing lasting damage to a number of homes and businesses.
Firefighters responded to the Williamsburg intersection of Graham and Metropolitan avenues around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Video from early on in the fire fight showed flames shooting out of third-story windows.
The fire appeared to start on the corner building, a three-story mixed-use building directly above an entrance to the Graham Street subway station serving the L train. Officials closed off the entrance for the time being.
Before the fire crews were able to get the blaze under control, fire spread to two neighboring buildings as well. According to city inspectors, all three were determined “no longer safe to occupy” and were given vacate orders.
FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said an occupant of the building and three firefighters each suffered minor injuries. The fire, Woods said, required a 4-alarm response.
“At a 4th alarm we use about 200 firefighters and EMS personnel with over 50 pieces of fire apparatus here,” the chief explained.
Firefighters managed to get the fire under control around 1:30 a.m.
Among the torched destruction is City Chemist, a pharmacy that neighbors say has been around for decades. The store sits on the ground floor of the corner building where the fire originated.
“It’s just horrendous, to see the families displaced to see this pharmacy on the corner that has been here for decades,” said neighbor Betsy Todd. “It’s a neighborhood institution.”
Investigators were on scene Sunday morning working to determine a cause of the fire.