By Nick Rizzi and Amy Zimmer
DNAinfo Staff
BROOKLYN — Firefighters were battling a four-alarm blaze in a one-story commercial building that houses a kosher sushi distributor in East Flatbush Monday morning.
The fire broke out at 561 Utica Ave. about 10:30 a.m., FDNY officials said. At least 35 units responded to the blaze with roughly 150 firefighters on the scene. A fourth alarm was issued just before 1 p.m. for relief purposes, fire officials said.
Firefighters had rushed into the building with a hose, but were forced out when the roof, ceiling and part of a wall collapsed.
"It's too dangerous to send people in," Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Marrone said at the scene.
There was also a lot of debris inside the store, he said.
At least one of the building's tenants is Natural Earth Products, a large kosher food distributor of nori, wasabi and other sushi products, according to its website. The company is listed at 563 Utica Ave., which is in the same building as the blaze.
A person who answered a phone for the company was unable to talk, saying things were "too hectic" at the moment.
No injuries were immediately reported.
Fire officials were still investigating the causes of the blaze but said it didn't appear suspicious.
