Firefighters battled 90 degree heat as well as a stubborn junkyard fire in Fordham Manor by land and sea on July 22, including employing an FDNY marine unit on the Harlem River to help extinguish the blaze.

 

Fire officials said the blaze broke out in a pile of trash inside a junkyard located at 2371 Exterior Street, just north of Fordham Road. Fire officials were alerted to the incident at 2:16 p.m. on Friday, July 22.

 

The fire drew 60 firefighters from 12 units with a marine unit hitting the blaze from the water and at least two tower ladders and numerous handlines used from the ground. The blaze was declared under control at 4:53 p.m. and no injuries were reported, according to the FDNY.

 

When contacted by telephone on Monday, July 25, an unidentified employee of Storage Post Self Storage, which is located next door to the junkyard at 301 West Fordham Road, and not far from the site of the planned billion dollar Fordham Landing development, as reported, confirmed that he was present on the day the fire broke out.

Bronx All Hands Box 3187, 2371 EXTERIOR ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, , Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) July 22, 2022

Asked if firefighters had entered the storage facilities property to tackle the blaze, he said they had. We asked if the storage facility itself was affected at all. “No, I don’t think we had any property damage,” the employee said.

 

Open hydrants deplete water sources and pressure, making it hard to fight fires. New Yorkers can #BeatTheHeat this summer by visiting a firehouse and requesting a spray cap.

See more #FDNYSmart tips for a safe summer at https://t.co/NpwdRdlElY pic.twitter.com/oizqNYOwZm

— FDNY (@FDNY) August 7, 2022

With billowing smoke seen as far away as Jerome Park and Riverdale, the employee was asked if he was concerned for his safety. He replied, “Was I concerned? Yeah, a little.”

FDNY officials later said, “On Friday, July 22, FDNY Marine 4, Marine 6 and the Marine Battalion were assigned to assist with a junk yard fire in The Bronx. FDNY Marine Units were able to pump water from the Harlem River and extinguish pockets of fire in which the land units could not reach. These incidents underscore the importance of FDNY Marine resources on our city’s waterways.”

 

Earlier that day, the department reported that FDNY Marine Company 4 had also responded to a report of a vessel explosion with persons in the water off the coast of Queens on the Long Island Sound. “While underway, Marine 4 was advised that five people had been ejected from the vessel and had been taken to shore by civilian boaters where they were treated by EMS,” a department official wrote on social media. “Once on scene Marine 4 surveyed the area for any additional victims and began to extinguish the fire which had fully consumed the vessel.”

 

The FDNY is reminding residents that spray caps are available for free from any firehouse. However, opening fire hydrants at full throttle is illegal, wastes water, and may cause a fire hazard.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.