By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter
INWOOD — A fire gutted an Inwood store and forced at least one family from their home Thursday night.
The blaze at 4996 Broadway, between Isham and West 212th streets, tore through Lei by Lisa, a clothing and accessories store, and the apartment above it. Munchies, a burger restaurant next door, was also damaged.
The fire took about 40 minutes to get under control after firefighters responded at 10:24 p.m., according to the FDNY.
No injuries were reported, fire officials said.
The American Red Cross responded to the fire and helped two adults and one child who lived in the gutted apartment. According to the emergency response organization, the family spent the night with friends after the blaze forced them from their home.
A spokesman for the American Red Cross said any residents affected by the fire could call 1-877-RED-CROSS for further assistance.
After the fire was put out, all that remained at Lei by Lisa was shattered glass, charred clothing and a decimated storefront. Munchies was closed Friday morning.
The storeowners at Lei by Lisa and Munchies did not answer their phones on Friday morning.
Inwood residents tweeted about the fire Thursday night, showing concern over recent high profile fires that had broken out in the neighborhood over the past several months.
“Another night, another fire,” Tweeted @abu718, attaching a photo of fire trucks responding to the fire.
Just last week a fast-moving fire gutted two apartments and damaged a dry cleaner on West 218th Street. Dozens of people were forced from their homes and a pet dog and cat were killed.
In October, a vacant storefront on Sherman Avenue caught fire — one of four buildings that had previously caught on fire in 2007 — and days later another blaze gutted a neighborhood candy store, smoothie shop and law office on Broadway.
Those stores on Broadway have yet to reopen.
