The FDNY battled a three-alarm fire at a commercial recycling facility on the Queens side of Newtown Creek on Wednesday night. Photos courtesy of FDNY
Jan. 30, 2025 By Bill Parry
For the second time in five months, the FDNY battled a stubborn fire at a commercial recycling operation on Newtown Creek in the Blissville section of Long Island City on Wednesday night.
The three-alarm blaze broke out at around 9:30 p.m. at the Sims Metal recycling facility at 30-27 Greenpoint Ave. The FDNY went to a third alarm shortly after arriving, bringing 33 units and 138 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene between Van Dam Street and Railroad Avenue.
Photos courtesy of FDNY
Photos courtesy of FDNY
High winds of 25 miles per hour whipped the flames, and gusts of more than 50 mph further complicated the operation by reigniting hotspots. The fire was finally brought under control at 1:21 a.m. FDNY marine units joined the fight, putting water on the flames from Newtown Creek.
There were no reported injuries, according to the FDNY
Photos courtesy of FDNY
Like the first blaze at the Sims Metal facility on the night of August 30, 2024, noxious plumes of smoke filled the air, forcing residents in Blissville, Sunnyside, Long Island City, and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to keep their windows and doors shut throughout the evening. The blaze that broke out five months earlier was on a barge on Newtown Creek that was tied to the bulkhead at Sims Metal. FDNY fire marshals later determined that that fire was sparked by lithium-ion batteries.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause of Wednesday night’s three-alarm fire.