Flames still burn amid the destruction caused by the Breezy Point fire. (AP)
Houses destroyed by the Breezy Point fire (AP)
Another view of the aftermath of the Breezy Point fire (Reuters)
This aerial photo shows the burned-out homes in Breezy Point. (AP)
Sweeping fires destroyed 111 homes in Breezy Point during Hurricane Sandy last night into this morning as flood waters ravaged the Queens beachfront neighborhood, forcing firefighters to undertake daring rescues.
Incredibly only three people were reported injured.
More than 190 firefighters contained the massive blazebut were still putting out some pockets of fire more than nine hours after it erupted.
As daylight broke, neighbors walked around aimlessly through their smoke-filled Breezy Point neighborhood, which sits on the Rockaway peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Electrical wires dangled within feet of the street.
Thomas and Missy Rom and their four kids stayed behind at their Breezy Point home and narrowly escaped the fast-spreading fire that turned their idyllic beach community into a fire-ravaged wasteland.
“We saw the water rising and said we can fight water. But when the fire came, we knew we couldn’t fight,” said Thomas. “We saw houses on fire and the fire was jumping from one house to the next. That’s when we left.”
Thomas pushed his son on a surfboard to flee to a neighbor’s house. But they had to escape after fire spread to that home.
The family the next day dug through the rubble of that used to be their house, searching for anything they could find. They were in good spirits – just happy to be alive.
“We just wanted to see if there is anything left,” said Thomas. “There isn’t — it’s just memories now. I built this house 20 years ago and now I saw the end of it. There’s nothing there. My son’s hockey net is still there. I see the frame of a bunk bed.”
Included among the wreckage were houses owned by Congressman Bob Turner and Conservative Party chairman Mike Long.
“I, along with many other Breezy Point residents, lost our homes last night and I am grateful that my family and I are safe after this destructive storm,” Turner (R-Queens) said in a prepared statement.
“I hope you will join me in lending a hand to those who were less fortunate and keep everyone impacted by this storm in your thoughts and prayers.”
The lawmaker said he was at his son-in-law’s nearby house when the devastating blaze broke out.
“I’ll get through this. My wife and I are pretty tough cookies,” the first-time politician told New York 1.
“This is disappointing. We can look around us and say this could have been a lot worse — and for some others, it really is. We’re all right.”
The 71-year-old Turner represents New York’s 9th congressional district in a seat that used to be held by disgraced, former US rep. Anthony Weiner.
Turner, a successful television executive, won a special election 13 months ago.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all of my fellow New Yorkers and the many others who are experiencing loss as a result of Hurricane Sandy,” Turner said in his prepared statement.
“Last night’s storm showed once again that the professionalism and bravery of our first responders is second to none. I want to commend the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday in order to keep others safe.”
Officials said the fire was reported around 11 p.m. yesterday in an area flooded by the superstorm that began sweeping through the city earlier.
Firefighters told WABC-TV that the water was chest high on the street, and they had to use a boat to make rescues. They said in one apartment home, about 25 people were trapped in an upstairs unit, and the two-story home next door was ablaze and setting fire to the apartment’s roof.
Firefighters climbed an awning to get to the trapped people and took them downstairs to a boat in the street.
Video footage of the scene showed a hellish swath of tightly packed homes fully engulfed in orange flames as firefighters hauled hoses while sloshing in ankle-high water. Many homes appeared completely flattened by the wind-whipped flames.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital. Two civilians suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
In September, the same neighborhood was struck by a tornado that hurled debris in the air, knocked out power and startled residents who once thought of twisters as a Midwestern phenomenon.