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Massive Breezy Point Fire During Sandy Was Caused By Electrical Wires
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Dec 25, 2012
Modified Dec 25, 2012
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Dec 25, 2012
Modified Dec 25, 2012
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One of the most devasting outcomes of Hurricane Sandy was the massive fire that destroyed over a hundred homes in Breezy Point, Queens. Now, officials have determined that the blaze was sparked primarily by contact between seawater and electrical wires at one Ocean Avenue house, which then spread throughout the neighborhood.
That one blaze, which began at around 8:30 p.m. on October 29, destroyed 122 homes, and firefighters had trouble battling it because of the rising floodwater at the height of the storm. It left behind a sea of demolished buildings and the charred remains of foundations, furniture, personal belongings and lifelong memories.
The charred remains of Breezy Point (photograph: Colin Ryan
And the Breezy Point fire wasn't the only devastating blaze caused by electrical wires. A large number homes were destroyed in Rockaway Beach, Queens after wires fell down in multiple locations, and flames from downed wires destroyed a restaurant on City Island in the Bronx. “Superstorm Sandy created challenges for the department on every level,” FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano told the Daily News, "“from our fire suppression and rescue efforts that night to the painstaking investigative work that followed.” Over 200 homes were destroyed by fire during Sandy. Here's a video of the six-alarm Breezy Point inferno on the night of the storm:
Tagged
queens
breezy point
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hurricane sandy
Rebecca Fishbein
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