A "mysterious" fire broke out on Tuesday morning at the evidence warehouse belonging to the New York Police Department about forty minutes past 10 am EST. As the fiery flames rose and the smoke blacked the skies over Columbia Street in Brooklyn, about 150 firefighters rushed to the Erie Basin Auto Pound in Red Hook (located on a pier) on fireboats to rescue a number of private contractors and members of police personnel who were trapped inside what witnesses have described as an "inferno." According to reports, 15 of the 23 survivors sustained injuries due to the incident.
As of now, no one knows for sure how the fire got started but what has been revealed is that the NYPD warehouse contained 30 years' worth of evidence, including DNA, documents, firearms, vehicles, and more. And now, it's all gone, leaving NYPD officials to scramble and evaluate the damage before determining the true impact of the incident.
"This is a very serious and damaging fire," said NYPD Chief Joseph Maddrey. "We won’t know the magnitude until we see the invoice to see what was in there and see what we can salvage."
During the incident above, the fire became so intense that it forced the firefighters to vacate the facility, fearing the infallible materials inside and the prospect of a second collapse.
The NYPD suspects the fire started on one of the shelves used to store evidence. The ongoing investigation could take a substantial amount of time to complete.
Source: Yahoo! News
