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Mostly Cloudy Macy's at Green Acres re-opens after fire
Macy's West at the Green Acres Mall was open on Wednesday after a fire near the escalators shut down the department store the day before.
Customers were shopping while work was going on to repair the damage caused by Tuesday's blaze. Half of the escalators were shut down and blocked off, a white tarp covered a large hole in the first-floor ceiling and several fans were running throughout the store to remove the smoke stench. Servpro, a fire and water restoration company, was on site.
Firefighters were called to the department store, located at the west end of the mall, at about 9:40 a.m. on June 25. Valley Stream Fire Chief John Beck said there was a decent amount of smoke on the first floor, and heavy smoke on the second and third floors when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters located the fire within the wall and ceiling near the escalators in the center of the store. It was the building itself that was burning between the first and second floor, Beck said. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical, but the exact origin remains under investigation.
About 60 firefighters from Valley Stream, Elmont, Hewlett and Woodmere responded. They stretched two hose lines into the building to put out the flames and had it under control within 30 minutes.
Firefighters opened up trap doors on the roof to vent the smoke. Beck said the fire damage was minimal, but there was more extensive smoke and water damage. A large hole was ripped in the ceiling near the escalators on the first floor so firefighters could reach the flames.
This was the second fire near the escalators at that store in less than two years. On Dec. 22, 2011, firefighters battled a blaze which burned in the walls and ceiling, also between the first and second floors but on the other side of the escalator bank.
Tuesday's fire occurred before the store was set to open so there were no customers inside. All employees safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Macy’s spokeswoman Elina Kazan said no merchandise was damaged. "We are very thankful for the swift response by the Fire Department and local authorities in containing the small electrical fire," she said.
