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 that 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 night 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 neighborhood, 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.”

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.

 

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

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

Those 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), some of the same elected officials followed up with another statement on March 6 in response to the East Gunhill Road fire.

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

Speaking to Norwood News at an unrelated event on Friday, March 6, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “What I would say is that we continue to be focused on keeping New Yorkers safe. I’m so appreciative of the work of our first responders, the incredible men and women of the FDNY who run towards these fires when we’re asking New Yorkers to run away from them.”

 

Mamdani added, “We also know that there were a number of cars that were illegally parked by fire hydrants and that continues to be something that we inform New Yorkers of the fact [and] to avoid because it’s not only against the law, it also impedes the ability of first responders to respond to fires of this nature.”

On Saturday, Feb. 7, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a press conference in Brooklyn to celebrate the $632,000 in federal funding she secured for Friends of Firefighters for its FDNY mental health and wellness programming, along with the full funding of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding package that passed into law earlier the same week.

 

She said the funding for Friends of Firefighters will support mental health counseling for current and retired FDNY firefighters and their immediate family members, general wellness programming, peer support, community building, outreach, and de-stigmatization of mental health services.  

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

Gillibrand’s office said the WTCHP was established in 2011 as part of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act and was originally funded for five years at $1.6 billion. They said the updated funding secured this year continues that commitment to ensuring 9/11 responders and survivors receive the care they need, now and in the years ahead. Click here and here for some related stories on this topic.

On Wednesday, March 4, fire officials from across New York State held an emergency press conference at the New York State Capitol in Albany, warning that a historic collapse in volunteer firefighter staffing has created a public safety crisis.

 

They said volunteer firefighter numbers have fallen to their lowest level in more than 40 years, reaching a critical breaking point that could leave firehouses unmanned and emergency calls unattended. They said nearly half a dozen firehouses across the state shut down last year because of a lack of volunteers.

 

Fire chiefs are calling on New York State legislators to pass legislation allowing nominal compensation for mandatory, on-duty fire personnel staffing firehouses, a step, they say, that is necessary to protect residents, firefighters, and first responders and stabilize the volunteer ranks.

 

They said fire service leaders point to alarming incidents in which fire companies have gone unmanned due to insufficient volunteer staffing — a situation they warn will continue to spread without immediate state action.

NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN Mamdani speaks to Norwood News on the City’s response to the 4-alarm commercial fire that broke out at 1234 East Gunhill Road in the Laconia section of the East Bronx on Thursday night, March 5, 2026, during an unrelated event held at Bronx Community College, Friday, March 6, 2026. Video by Síle Moloney

A day earlier, on March 3, State Sen. Robert Jackson (S.D. 31) joined New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City firefighters and fire officers to celebrate the signing of the senator’s bill, S4727, into law, guaranteeing that members of the New York City Fire Department Pension Fund can retire with full benefits after twenty years of service, regardless of age.

Jackson said that for years, firefighters and police officers hired under Tier 3 were required to serve longer than their Tier 2 colleagues to receive the same retirement benefit, despite working side by side, facing identical risks, and carrying the same responsibilities. He said bill S4727 ends that disparity and establishes a single, fair standard, adding that twenty years of service earns the right to retire with dignity.

The new law takes effect immediately and applies to police and fire members of the NYC Fire Department Pension Fund, which he said reinforces equity within the system and strengthens recruitment and retention across New York City’s public safety workforce.

“Justice in public service must be measured not only by what we ask of our workers, but by what we honor in return,” said Jackson. “I was proud to sponsor and fight for S4727 because twenty years of courage and sacrifice protecting New Yorkers should earn the right to retire, regardless of age or tier.”

He added, “Firefighters and police officers who stand shoulder to shoulder in service deserve equal treatment under the law. With this bill now signed into law, I thank Gov. Hochul for standing with us to correct a long-standing disparity, strengthen recruitment and retention, and make clear that fairness in our pension system is not a privilege; it is a promise.”

According to Jackson’s office, by aligning retirement eligibility across tiers, S4727 restores parity, boosts morale, and sends a clear message: New York honors those who dedicate two decades of their lives to keeping our communities safe.

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.”