The fire next door: Building fire in Baldwin, New York next to firehouse.

Series of photos at BillBennett.com

Above is Bill Bennett’s early video from Thursday’s fire that occurred on Grand Avenue in the block adjacent to the firehouse in Baldwin, New York. 

Here are some details about the fire from the Long Island Herald:

A major fire in Baldwin is the second in less than three weeks in the downtown area. The blaze destroyed up to a half-dozen stores on Grand Avenue, as well as the apartments above.

The fire was reported about 8 a.m. on May 20 and firefighters from Baldwin and more than a dozen surrounding communities responded. Smoke could be seen for several miles.

Here’s more information from WNYW-TV:

The buildings were unoccupied, but the fire destroyed a row of shops, including a bar, a café, a laundry, and a take-out food store.

No one was hurt, fire officials said.

The destroyed stores were in the process of being sold to the Town of Hempstead to be turned into housing as part of an urban renewal effort. Now the fire marshal will investigate if it was started intentionally.

The fire was in the block to the left of the picture on the same side of the street as the firehouse. Click the image for a Google Maps Street View tour of the neighborhood.