17 firefighters injured in Brooklyn Kings Plaza fire & explosion

Monday September 17th a fire broke out  in a garage by a Brooklyn shopping mall in New York. Explosions were heard from the building and a black smoke pillar could be seen from several kilometers away.

Several firefighters were injured and the public was urged to stay away from the area.



The fire broke out in the garage to the shopping mall Kings Plaza Mall, Brooklyn, New York at 9 o'clock in the morning, local time EST.

 

See a video on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/NYScanner/status/1041684060580532224

Thick clouds of black smoke was coming out of the building and spread across the area and the highway.  The smoke cloud could be seen from several kilometers away and the emergency services urged people with asthma, heart problems or lung diseases to close windows and doors and to stay away from the dangerous smoke, The Sun writes.



The garage is ten floors high and there were about 120 cars parked inside. Several explosions were heard in connection with the fire and most cars on two of the floors were on fire, announced New York's Fire Department on Twitter.



Between 250 and 300 firemen fought the fire. According to ABC News, the fire  service had to interrupt the operation in the garage due to the heat and the strong smoke production.



21 people, of whom 18 were firefighters, were injured by the heat or from inhaling the toxic smoke. They have received medical attention.



- None of the injuries are critical or life threatening. Everyone is stable, said a press officer from New York's Fire Department, to ABC News.



Around 120 stores are located in the mall, including H & M, Michael Kors and Footlocker. A spokesman from the mall urged the public to stay away from the area because of the fire.