A Bronx fire Monday
tore through a
supermarket, a diner
and a dentist's
office just a block
away from where a
blaze destroyed 14
mom-and-pop shops on
Halloween.
The two fires -
neither of whose
cause is clear -
sparked concerns
among residents that
an arsonist may be
on the loose in the
neighborhood.
Two firefighters
suffered minor
injuries in the 4:30
a.m. fire Monday,
which started in the
basement of the
American Diner, then
spread to an
adjacent Foodtown
and a dentist's
office at 291 E.
204th St. in
Norwood.
The five-alarm fire
took 198
firefighters nearly
five hours to bring
under control.
Neighborhood
residents were
concerned. "When you
burn up stuff, the
property value goes
down," said Daren
Hollman, 47.
"It's
got to be an
arsonist."
Helen Rosario, 45,
said she was
beginning to feel
good again about her
neighborhood after
some of the stores
burned out on
Halloween had begun
to rebuild.
"I had just got so
much joy because
they started
rebuilding the
stores," she said.
"It gave you hope
when you saw them
rebuilding Dunkin'
Donuts, and now this
happens."
As firefighters
battled both the
chilly temperatures
and the smoky
conditions,
merchants and
workers from the
gutted businesses
gathered at the
scene.
"We don't know the
damage," said
Mohammed Solaimon,
58, who owns the
Dhaka Discount and
Grocery. "I see
dropping water, and
it's smoky."
rparascandola@nydailynews.com
