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VIDEO: Massive Fire in Breezy Point Engulfs 80 Homes During Hurricane Sandy

By Aidan Gardiner | October 30, 2012 9:05am | Updated on October 30, 2012 1:01pm

BREEZY POINT — A devastating fire engulfed some 80 homes in Breezy Point Monday night as Hurricane Sandy battered the city, authorities said.

It took hours for firefighters to get the blaze, which left two people with minor injuries, under control Tuesday morning as search and recovery operations continued in the neighborhood, which was hit hard by flooding, FDNY officials said.

Over 200 firefighters responded to the small neighborhood at the end of the Rockaways peninsula about 11 p.m. Monday night, a fire spokesman said.

The blaze, which was caught on dramatic video, appears to have started due to flooding at the buildings, but the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined because it’s still ongoing, a fire spokesman said.

"It looked like a forest fire out in the Midwest," Mayor Michael Bloomberg siad. "Even if we can save every life, we know that many people have lost their homes."

The fire was difficult to fight because Hurricane Sandy's high winds lashed the area throughout the night and houses in the neighborhood were so tightly packed together, according to NY1.

One of the injured individuals was transported to New York Hospital Queens, a fire official said.