The Kingsbridge community is “shell-shocked” and still reeling after a fire inside of deli on West 231st Street, just west of Broadway, spread through multiple businesses, leaving several tenants displaced.
The five-alarm fire is believed to have started inside Cold Cut City Bunny Deli, located at 228 West 231st St., at around 3:30 a.m on Wednesday, Dec. 13, according to the FDNY.
The fire tore through the deli and neighboring businesses on 231st Street, including New Riverdale Hair & Nail Center, New Sea Win Seafood Market, El Novillo Meat Market and 231st Street Cleaners.
According to FDNY, the fire was under control at approximately 7:48 a.m. after devastating several businesses on West 231st Street.
One civilian was treated smoke inhalation at the scene, according to the FDNY, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation as of Monday afternoon.
“It’s a horrible loss,” Kingsbridge BID Executive Director Katherine Broihier told the Bronx Times. “Some of these businesses have been here for almost 20 years. It’s a good thing that nobody was seriously injured, but it’s still really sad.”
Broihier mentioned that the affected area of West 231st Street has always been heavily filled with vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
“On a regular day, you get your lunch at (Cold Cut City) Bunny Deli and you get your dry cleaning from 231st Street Cleaners,” Broihier said. “There’s definitely an emptiness in the community now.”
Broihier also mentioned that she heard of people who live in apartments in nearby Riverdale who could see the blaze from their apartment windows.
“To have this happen, especially during the holiday season, is just awful,” Broihier added. “The community is shell-shocked.”
Other businesses on 231st Street, including Columbia Florist, H&R Block, JJ Jewelry Box, Alltown Car Service, Delicious Delight, Joe’s Brick Oven Pizza and S.Y Beauty Supply II, were also affected by the fire.
The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) issued a full vacate order for Cold Cut City Bunny Deli and also ordered the building to hire a professional engineer to submit a report on the building’s structural stability to the DOB.
As of 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, DOB inspectors “have not ordered demolition at the address (of Cold Cut City Bunny Deli) following last week’s fire,” according to DOB.
Kingsbridge Pharmacy, located at 200 West 231st St., along with businesses located further eastbound, were not affected by the blaze.
“Sad news this morning in Kingsbridge — (with) six small businesses devastated in an early morning commercial fire on West 231st Street,” Borough President Vanessa Gibson said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on the day of the fire. “Our team is on the scene with city officials and emergency personnel. Praying for all involved,” Gibson added.
Council Member Eric Dinowitz, who represents the neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield and Woodlawn, took to X to describe the business fire on 231st Street as “devastating.”
The Bronx Times was unable to several of the affected businesses on 231st Street, both in person and by phone, as the landlines of many of these businesses have been temporarily disconnected as a result of the fire.
Neither Columbia Florist, located at 210 West 231st St., nor Alltown Car Service, located on 206 West 231st St., could be reached for comment.
An employee at Riverdale Liquors Wine Factory, located across the street at 207 West 231st St., confirmed that their store was not open at the time of the incident, but declined to comment further.
Reach Steven Goodstein at sgoodstein@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260–8326. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
