FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO a commercial fire at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026. Video 1 Video by Síle Moloney

There was one injury reported by the FDNY/EMS after a  4-alarm, commercial fire broke out along a commercial block in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Thursday night, March 5.

 

The fire department said they received a call at 11.53 p.m. on Thursday night for a report of a fire in a store located at 1234 East Gunhill Road (a deli) located between Pearsall Avenue and Throop Avenue.

FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO a commercial fire at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of The Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026. Video 2 Video by Síle Moloney

They said the fire was in the cockloft of a row of stores located on East Gunhill Road. The cockloft is typically an uninhabited and often inaccessible void space between the top-floor ceiling and the roof of a building.

 

They said a second alarm was raised at 00.08 a.m. on Friday morning, March 6, a third alarm at 00.16 a.m. and a fourth alarm at 00.24 a.m. They said 74 units, comprising 231 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene. NYPD were also onsite and had cordoned off the street next to the deli.

FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO a commercial fire at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026. Video 3 Video by Síle Moloney

The FDNY said one firefighter incurred minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital and fire marshals had been notified and will determine the cause of the blaze, which the FDNY said was brought under control at 2:23 a.m.

 

The fire broke out on a rainy day and firefighters were seen tackling the blaze both from the roof and from the ground. They appeared to be drilling / welding something inside the deli at one point based on sounds emanating through the night air.

 

FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO a commercial fire at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026. Video 4 Video by Síle Moloney

Norwood News spoke to Joseph, a male resident of the area, for his reaction. “I hope everyone’s ok; it’s crazy!” he said. Asked if he was a frequent customer at the row of stores, Joseph replied, “Yeah, I come here sometimes; it’s convenient. It’s unfortunate that this happened.” When we mentioned the scale of the response as the fire units were taking up a few blocks around the fire area, he said, “Yeah, kinda lucky as it’s been raining a little bit.”

 

At 1.31 a.m., Norwood News asked another male resident, Tavaun, who was exiting a nearby McDonalds if he usually frequented the impacted stores and he said, “Yeah, all the time.” He said he hadn’t seen the fire burning as he’d been inside, adding, “They’ve been here for over an hour and 30 minutes now, maybe two hours.”

 

FIREFIGHTERS CAN BE heard seemingly drilling or welding inside 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026 after a commercial fire broke out. Video 5 Video by Síle Moloney

The office for cure violence group, Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (B.R.A.G.), is located a block or two away from where the fire broke out, at the junction of Boston Road and East Gun Hill Road, and the office of Council Member Kevin Riley (C.D. 12) is located about 6 blocks away at East Gunhill Road and Colden Avenue.

 

FIRE UNITS THAT responded to a commercial fire at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026 were seen for two to three blocks along East Gun Hill Road. Video 6 Video by Síle Moloney

On Monday, March 2, the councilman had joined other Bronx elected officials in issuing a statement following a fire that broke out at Co-op City.

 

These included Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman George Latimer (NY-16), State Sen. Jamaal Bailey (S.D. 36), and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (A.D. 82). They said in part, “We are monitoring this morning’s two-alarm fire at 100 Asch Loop in Co-op City. Thank you to FDNY, NYPD, first responders, and the Red Cross for supporting residents. Our offices stand ready to assist.”

Together with Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), they followed up with another statement on March 6 in respect of the Gunhill Road commercial fire, above.

 

FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE A commercial fire at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Friday, March 6, 2026 from the rear of the building and from the roof. Video 7 Video by Síle Moloney

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape.”