Bronx supermarket fire leaves 4 people injured: FDNY

by: Aaron Feis

Posted: Feb 10, 2023 / 11:03 AM EST

Updated: Feb 10, 2023 / 01:46 PM EST

MORRIS HEIGHTS, the Bronx (PIX11) — A five-alarm fire tore through a Morris Heights supermarket Thursday evening, leaving four people injured, FDNY officials said.

The blaze broke out around 5:30 p.m. at the CTown supermarket on University Avenue near Macombs Road, sending smoke billowing from the building and flames shooting from the roof, according to a department account on Instagram.

"The store had just closed up for the night and the gates were down. We had to force entry into the store. Our members quickly got inside and started to fight the fire," said FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens. "The fire eventually gained a lot of headway and we were forced to evacuate the building due to the heavy volume of fire."

As flames engulfed the store, 200 firefighters from across 50 units responded to battle the blaze, working for more than four hours to bring it under control, officials said.

One civilian and three firefighters suffered what officials described as minor injuries.

"There is obviously a loss of property in the community tonight, but thanks to the hard work of our members, no loss of life this evening," said FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday morning.

CTown's parent company Krasdale Foods released a statement Friday regarding the fire. Dennis Wallin, the Krasdale Foods executive vice president of new business development, said they were "devastated" by the fire.

"For over 100 years, Krasdale has made New York City our home and through our banner stores like CTown, we have been unwavering in our commitment to serve and support the local neighborhoods where we operate. We are devasted by the fire that engulfed our CTown store in the Bronx, but we are extremely grateful for the first responders who worked tirelessly through the evening to contain the fire.

It is at times like this that we are so proud to call New York City our home and as we work to rally around the community that relied on this store, we want to assure them that we will rebuild this store and in the meantime encourage our neighbors to visit our nearest location right across the street which is the University Fresh Market located at 1707 University Ave. We will also be making a donation to the FDNY Foundation as a sign of our gratitude for mobilizing so quickly, protecting our community and containing the fire."

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