Smoke from a five-alarm blaze in a Greenpoint lumber yard dominates the night sky during the early hours of Saturday. Photo credit: Emily Johnson
A five-alarm fire tore through a family-owned Greenpoint lumber yard early on Saturday morning, causing the Brooklyn-Queens expressway to shut down briefly as firefighters battled the blaze for hours in the frigid cold.
The fire broke out at Marly Supply Company, a sprawling warehouse packed with lumber at the corner of Meeker Avenue and Varick Street, around 12:30 a.m., according to an FDNY spokesperson. Embers and smoke reached the nearby BQE, causing theMeeker Ave./Morgan Ave. exit to be shut down briefly.
Nearly 200 firefighters responded, working through the night in brutally cold conditions. The blaze was finally brought under control shortly before 5 a.m.
The Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of the fire. As of Sunday morning, some units were still in place to monitor the still-smoldering site.
Follow Emily Johnson on Twitter @emilyjreports
