Rooftop Fire at Fulton and Marcy

A two-alarm fire broke out on the roof of a four-story commercial building Tuesday night at around 7:00.  The building was located at 1409 Fulton Street between Marcy and Tompkins.

The Fire Department said the cause of the fire is unknown, but it is considered suspicious. The fire -- which required 25 units and 106 firefighters -- blazed for approximately one hour before it went under control around 8:00pm.

There were no reported fatalities or injuries, but merchants at neighboring businesses along the busy commercial corridor of Fulton Street said the smoke was heavy and oppressive, even from inside of their stores.

"The smell got my attention. You can smell it now, you know," said Billie Kim from Queens. He was working inside of one of the neighboring stores when the fire started. He stepped outside long enough to see the firemen approaching the scene before the smoke and fumes started to overwhelm him. From that point, he said, he waited inside his store until the fire was contained.

The burning building sat between IDT Green Tree Grocery and The Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center and across from the Super Food Town at Restoration Plaza. There were mixed stories from the passersby and neighbors about whether the building was empty or occupied. But the Fire Department said they believe it was occupied.

Another resident who was at a beauty salon getting her hair braided at the time of the fire said she glanced outside briefly, and at that point the fire was billowing large and out of control from the third floor and the roof. She said the firefighters did an amazing job getting as close to the fire as they did and putting it out quickly.

"You gotta hand it to them," she said. "Because I wouldn't have gone 100 feet within that blaze. But they did a great job."