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Stubborn Williamsburg inferno at warehouse packed with city documents rages into night – Metro US

Stubborn Williamsburg inferno at warehouse packed with city documents rages into night

From land and sea, more than 200 of New York City’s Bravest on Saturday attacked a spectacular — and stubborn — fire on the Brooklyn waterfront that could be seen from miles around.

Fueling the flames inside the CitiStorage facility: Years and years of crucial court documents, public documents, and confidential case files from the public hospital system, and child welfare.

Choking clouds of smoke wafted through the surrounding streets, where a massive residential construction boom has been underway in recent years.

As the sun set, residents and visitors to the hipster haven were stunned that what started at 6:20 a.m. was still going.

“I can’t believe it’s not out by now,” Mark Engel, 41, a lawyer, toldThe New York Times. “It’s like 9/11, you don’t know what you’re breathing, I’m afraid to have my kids here.”

Firefighters had two extra challenges: the sub-freezing temperatures and the whipping wind, officials said.