Queens Fire 9-19-09

Not far from JFK there was a fire in Queens today around the area of Farmers Boulevard and 140 Avenue. Smoke supposedly tied up traffic on the Belt for a while. The wind took most of the smoke away from my vantage point, but I had to leave when the wind blew it straight towards my area later on.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8049-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8123-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...s/IMG_8055.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8064-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8079-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8080-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8082-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8113-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8101-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8099-1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_8115-1.jpg

from your third to last shot it looks like the arson investigators are already on scene. i found out today, they use nikon D3s! :mrgreen:

On my way home from Long Beach yesterday, we saw a bunch of emergency vehicles headed that way...including a strange looking bus thing - anyone know what it could have been? I called up Phil (who was spotting at Firestone) and asked if something was going on at JFK...he said he saw a ton of smoke. He came home smelling like pure fire (his clothes are still airing out)...I'm surprised he's not in those photos. He got way too close to take some of his own!

I also saw how bad the traffic was on the Belt when I was merging onto the Van Wyck...looked terrible.

I hope no one was hurt in this. Definitely seems suspicious. No restaurants on that strip, middle of the day, what could have sparked something this fierce?

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Originally Posted by cancidas

from your third to last shot it looks like the arson investigators are already on scene. i found out today, they use Nikon D3s! :mrgreen:

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Hmm, who told you that? :lol:

Yes they and the Photo Unit use Nikon. Just after 9/11 Nikon was very generous.

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Originally Posted by Mellyrose

On my way home from Long Beach yesterday, we saw a bunch of emergency vehicles headed that way...including a strange looking bus thing - anyone know what it could have been? I called up Phil (who was spotting at Firestone) and asked if something was going on at JFK...he said he saw a ton of smoke. He came home smelling like pure fire (his clothes are still airing out)...I'm surprised he's not in those photos. He got way too close to take some of his own!

I also saw how bad the traffic was on the Belt when I was merging onto the Van Wyck...looked terrible.

I hope no one was hurt in this. Definitely seems suspicious. No restaurants on that strip, middle of the day, what could have sparked something this fierce?

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It could have been the FDNY*EMS Merv (Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle) or the OEM Command Vehicle. Ah, the smell of fire. I would come home often with the smell. You actually crave it after a while.

Looks like this one was a classic "surround and drown" operation... Wonder how much extension into the adjacent stores there was? You sure don't forget the smell of a structure fire... After my first one (fully involved house), the smell hung in my nostrils for almost 10 days... You don't forget that...

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Originally Posted by emshighway

Ah, the smell of fire. I would come home often with the smell. You actually crave it after a while.

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used to always remind me of the old country, wood burning stoves and all...

Mark, you must have just missed Phil and I. We saw the massive smoke plume as soon as we turned out of Firestone yesterday...it was right under the 4L departure path and the plume of smoke was so big, our first thought was it might have been a plane. So we did what any self respecting guys with fancy cameras would do: we drove toward the smoke and walked right into it. Phil got closer than I did and got some nice shots of the firefighters, the smoke started making me woozy so I turned around at some point.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3508/...8066b0f8_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/...15a03f63_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2603/...3a3e8af7_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3505/...f2048ea1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/...551bed07_o.jpg

Hmmm... Did you notice someone doing an epic failure of a parallel parking job on Farmers, then give up and drive off? (*hint hint*)

EDIT: Ah, I passed right by. As I said, you might have noticed my epic fail parallel parking attempt.

Your perspective:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...f2048ea1_o.jpg

My perspective:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...G_8049-1-1.jpg

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Originally Posted by emshighway

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Originally Posted by Mellyrose

On my way home from Long Beach yesterday, we saw a bunch of emergency vehicles headed that way...including a strange looking bus thing - anyone know what it could have been?...

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It could have been the FDNY*EMS Merv (Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle) or the OEM Command Vehicle. Ah, the smell of fire. I would come home often with the smell. You actually crave it after a while.

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Yes, I think it was the MERV! Thanks for helping me figure that out.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/...43889955ec.jpg


Heeshung: I love the diagram you made comparing vantage points. lol :lol:

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Originally Posted by Mellyrose

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Originally Posted by emshighway

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Originally Posted by Mellyrose

On my way home from Long Beach yesterday, we saw a bunch of emergency vehicles headed that way...including a strange looking bus thing - anyone know what it could have been?...

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It could have been the FDNY*EMS Merv (Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle) or the OEM Command Vehicle. Ah, the smell of fire. I would come home often with the smell. You actually crave it after a while.

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Yes, I think it was the MERV! Thanks for helping me figure that out.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/...43889955ec.jpg


Heeshung: I love the diagram you made comparing vantage points. lol :lol:

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It was always fun driving a bus with lights and sirens. I drove the old versions of the Queens and Brooklyn MERVs.

As you see in a few photos you can see all the probies sitting the nozzle.

A few things if you are buffing a fire; Try to stay up wind, watch out if you are around the command post, FFs always mistakenly spray the command post to get the chiefs wet and always look like you belong there.

Those are different than the EMS MERVs I recall from when I was a kid....actual school buses with the orange and blue stripes.

I'll edit the pics I took soon. Was pretty cool getting so close to the action.

Mel came across a photo with me in the background:

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/phil_76353.jpg

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Originally Posted by Phil D.

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/phil_76353.jpg

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i hope that's not your kennedy badge hanging around your neck...

It's my NYCAviation ALL ACCESS PRESS CREDENTIAL, yo.

Ok, here are my shots. Many were VERY dark because my settings were not optimal for being nearly blacked out, so I have to blast some levels to make things appear.

Through the trees and smoke...
http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_1.jpg

I think I count eight hoses just drenching the inside.
http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_2.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_3.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_4.jpg

Glowing inside from the flames.
http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_5.jpg

Whole lotta water being sprayed.
http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_6.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_7.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_8.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_9.jpg

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/Fire_10.jpg

Great shots guys!

That's a whole load of smoke.

Good shooting.

It was 138-10 Farmers Blvd. Run came in as a phone alarm, first due companies pulled in to find smoke pushing from four stores. They made a push but too much fire, went to an outside operation very quickly.

Pictures (to many to post) http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/South-Nassa ... 7346_z6MNN

You guys probably could have sold a few to the papers. Fire scene photography is a little different from other stuff. Always get the fire, smoke doesn't thrill people. The silhouette shot of the fire fighter in an aerial ladder is almost a must.

Great work Guys.

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Originally Posted by fk6065

It was 138-10 Farmers Blvd. Run came in as a phone alarm, first due companies pulled in to find smoke pushing from four stores. They made a push but too much fire, went to an outside operation very quickly.

Pictures (to many to post) http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/South-Nassa ... 7346_z6MNN

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Now thats a fire buff talkin' :borat:

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Originally Posted by emshighway

Always get the fire, smoke doesn't thrill people.

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The fire seemed to be inside and in the back of the building, couldn't see any flames from our vantage point, just a ton of smoke. Looks like it started in the 99 Cent store, which of course would have been filled with the world's finest toxic plastic/lead/bleach-filled knick knacks, which probably contributed to the smoke. It smelled like 20% burning wood/80% nastyness. It's crazy that firemen breathe that crap in every day.