MANHATTAN — A grocer was planning to give away some of his merchandise ahead of Thanksgiving after a fire tore through his supermarket in Sugar Hill Wednesday morning, he said.
Bill Estevez was still assessing the damage about 9 hours after flames tore through the rear of his Foodtown 756 St. Nicholas Ave., near West 148th Street, about 1:17 a.m.
It wasn't immediately clear how much food was damaged or what he'd have to give away to keep from spoiling.
"it's something we're planning, but I have no other information," Estevez said.
"We want to be able to provide for our customers," he added.
Workers clean up after the Wednesday morning fire. (DNAinfo/Ethan Harfenist)
Fire in #Foodtown supermarket on St Nicholas Ave. in Manhattan. No injuries. 130+ firefighters on scene @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/MW6u3iZxo8
— Andrea Grymes (@AndreaGrymesTV) November 25, 2015
It took 145 firefighters to bring the blaze under control by 3:30 a.m., officials said.
MAN 3-ALARM 756 ST NICHOLAS AVE, COMMERCIAL FIRE ON 1ST FLR, UNDER CONTROL
— FDNY (@FDNY) November 25, 2015
One firefighter was treated for minor injuries at Mount Sinai St. Luke's, a spokesman said.
The grocery store was closed Wednesday morning until further notice ahead of Thanksgiving, the owner said.
"This is the worst time for this to happen. I'm lucky I did all my shopping yesterday," said neighbor John Moncuro, 60.
Other neighbors said they'd rely on other nearby grocery stores to prepare for their holiday feast.
Estevez assured that his store would quickly open again.
“We’ve been here through the good and the bad and we’ll be back as soon as possible," Estevez added.